This is how to shut down illegal immigration: As Immigration Audits Increase, Some Employers Pay a High Price
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2011/07/15 18:53:25
As Immigration Audits Increase, Some Employers Pay a High Price
David Cox was at his desk in September 2009, when his receptionist
announced an unexpected visitor, a special agent from Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. Mr. Cox is chief executive of L.
E. Cooke Company, a fourth-generation, family-owned nursery in Visalia,
Calif., that grows deciduous trees and shrubs. The agent handed Mr. Cox
a letter and informed him he had three days to produce I-9
employment-eligibility forms for all current employees. Mr. Cox said the
agent was “pleasant and nonthreatening,” but he noticed she carried a
gun.
L. E. Cook was one of 1,444 businesses to receive an
introduction to ICE’s stepped-up worksite enforcement program in 2009 —
almost three times the number audited in 2008. Last year, 2,196
businesses were audited. An ICE representative said the agency did not
categorize audits by business type and that the law applied across
industries.
“Any company is at risk at any given time,” said Leon
Versfeld, an immigration lawyer in Kansas City, Mo. In one prominent
case, American Apparel, the clothing manufacturer, was forced to
terminate 1,800 undocumented workers after a 2009 audit. Chipotle
Mexican Grill, the restaurant chain, has let go hundreds of workers
since its audit began last year.
While the administration of
George W. Bush focused on headline-making raids that resulted in arrests
of immigrant workers, the Obama administration has gone after employers
with ICE’s I-9 audits on the theory that employers who hire
unauthorized workers create the demand that drives most illegal
immigration.
In addition, the Social Security Administration has
resumed sending “no-match” letters after a three-year hiatus. The
letters, which alert employers that information on an employee’s W-2
form does not match information on file with the Social Security
Administration, had been halted in 2007. The main purpose is ostensibly
to ensure that employee Social Security accounts are credited properly,
but the letters can also be used by ICE to show that an employer had
reason to believe an employee might not have documentation.
full: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/business/smallbusines...
David Cox was at his desk in September 2009, when his receptionist
announced an unexpected visitor, a special agent from Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. Mr. Cox is chief executive of L.
E. Cooke Company, a fourth-generation, family-owned nursery in Visalia,
Calif., that grows deciduous trees and shrubs. The agent handed Mr. Cox
a letter and informed him he had three days to produce I-9
employment-eligibility forms for all current employees. Mr. Cox said the
agent was “pleasant and nonthreatening,” but he noticed she carried a
gun.
L. E. Cook was one of 1,444 businesses to receive an
introduction to ICE’s stepped-up worksite enforcement program in 2009 —
almost three times the number audited in 2008. Last year, 2,196
businesses were audited. An ICE representative said the agency did not
categorize audits by business type and that the law applied across
industries.
“Any company is at risk at any given time,” said Leon
Versfeld, an immigration lawyer in Kansas City, Mo. In one prominent
case, American Apparel, the clothing manufacturer, was forced to
terminate 1,800 undocumented workers after a 2009 audit. Chipotle
Mexican Grill, the restaurant chain, has let go hundreds of workers
since its audit began last year.
While the administration of
George W. Bush focused on headline-making raids that resulted in arrests
of immigrant workers, the Obama administration has gone after employers
with ICE’s I-9 audits on the theory that employers who hire
unauthorized workers create the demand that drives most illegal
immigration.
In addition, the Social Security Administration has
resumed sending “no-match” letters after a three-year hiatus. The
letters, which alert employers that information on an employee’s W-2
form does not match information on file with the Social Security
Administration, had been halted in 2007. The main purpose is ostensibly
to ensure that employee Social Security accounts are credited properly,
but the letters can also be used by ICE to show that an employer had
reason to believe an employee might not have documentation.
full: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/business/smallbusines...
There are a few midsize businesses, e.g., poultry processing and perhaps meat packing, tailoring and other textile trades, and construction that rely heavily on illegal immigrants.
And then there are the serious criminals, e.g., pimps and whorehouses, drug running, etc., although these probably don't register their workers anyway so this program will probably not make a big difference here.
Do you wonder why Bush wanted amnesty for illegals?
Cheap labor for his corporate buddies.