The Orlando Sentinel reported today that critics in the federal government have raised concerns that although the President has heightened immigration enforcement efforts on businesses that are suspected of hiring undocumented immigrants, and despite the fact that the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) has already conducted more workplace audits of the I-9  (Employment Eligibility Verification) forms, critics feel that the government’s enforcement has been has been too lenient [...]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced recently that it has redesigned the E-Verify system to make it easier for employers to verify whether or not individuals are authorized to work in the United States. E-Verify is a free, internet based based system, that allows participating employers to verify the employment eligibility of their employees. USCIS officials estimated that over 208,000 employers are registered users of  E-Verify, and, has [...]

The New York Times reported recently that the hiring records of the Gervais Family Farms in Bakersfield, Vermont were inspected as part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (USICE’s) enforcement efforts to inspect the employment records of 1,000 businesses across the United States.  The businesses that were inspected were either known or suspected to have hired undocumented immigrants. The USICE imposes [...]

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) reported earlier this week that it has just issued about 180 Notices of Inspection (NOI’s) to businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. The NOI’s informed the affected business owners that they have three (3) days to prepare for the USICE to inspect their hiring records to determine whether or not they have hired unauthorized [...]

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) reported this past weekend that Koch Foods of Cincinnati LLC, a poultry processing plant was assessed and paid over $536,000 in fines for violations of the U.S. immigration laws concerning the hiring of undocumented immigrants. The USICE investigated the company based on an anonymous tip received alleging that company was employing over 100 undocumented workers at their poultry [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) fined a manufacturer from Detroit, MI accused of failing to properly complete approximately 100 employment eligibility forms for its workers. The USICE conducted an audit back in March of this year and discovered various discrepancies.  As a result, USICE investigators charged the manufacturer with violations including failing to keep on file, employee attestations stating that they [...]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported today that  the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009, has extended the E-Verify, the Immigrant Investor (EB-5 Pilot Program), the Special Immigrant visa category for non-minister religious workers, and, the date by which J-1 nonimmigrant exchange visitors must obtain J-1 status to qualify for [...]

The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement  (USICE) reported today that it has issued Notices of Inspection (NOI’s) to 1,000 businesses across the U.S. who are in the business of critical infrastructure informing them that the USICE will be auditing their hiring records to determine compliance with employment eligibility verification laws. The 1,000 businesses that were served with the NOI’s were randomly selected based on the [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that workplace immigration raids by the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement  (USICE) to identify undocumented alien workers that took place during the Bush administration has interfered with U.S. Department of Labor  (USDOL) investigations to determine violations of labor laws. A Memorandum of Understanding  between the USDOL and the legacy Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) was signed in [...]

The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) reported yesterday that the owners of a poultry processing plant in Missouri where over 130 undocumented workers were arrested back in 2007 reached a settlement with the USICE on August 14, 2009 to pay a $450,000 fine as a result of a worksite enforcement investigation conducted by the USICE.  The USICE will use the funds for continued worksite enforcement. Generally, as part [...]