Breaking 911: WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced Tuesday the results of a two-phase nationwide operation in which I-9 audit notices were served to more than 5,200 businesses around the country since January. A notice of inspection (NOI) informs business owners that ICE is going to audit their hiring records to determine whether they are complying with existing law.
From July 16 to 20, the second phase of the operation, HSI served 2,738 NOIs and made 32 arrests. During the first phase of the operation, Jan. 29 to March 30, HSI served 2,540 NOIs and made 61 arrests.
“This is not a victimless crime,” said Derek N. Benner, Acting Executive Associate Director for HSI. “Unauthorized workers often use stolen identities of legal U.S. workers, which can significantly impact the identity theft victim’s credit, medical records and other aspects of their everyday life.”
While the agency routinely conducts worksite investigations to uphold federal law, HSI is currently carrying out its commitment to increase the number of I-9 audits in an effort to create a culture of compliance among employers, according to Benner.
HSI’s worksite enforcement strategy focuses on the criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly break the law, and the use of I-9 audits and civil fines to encourage compliance with the law. HSI’s worksite enforcement investigators help combat worker exploitation, illegal wages, child labor and other illegal practices. read more
Only 93 arrests?! We need MORE I.C.E.!!! 🙂
An EXCELLENT article and link to boot!
WELL DONE!
Before I got cancer I worked for many years in the temp business and I did all the jobs on both sides of the counter, which is why I excelled at it.
When it came time for me to manage the recruiting efforts I was the one in charge of filling out the I-9 forms and every time I came across an obviously doctored/fake ID I would stop the hiring process right there and then and tell the person that by law I either have to report him/her or face jail time myself and I am NOT going to jail for your illegal butt so I suggest you shag your ass outta here before ICE shows up…. and they would run, and NEVER come back…LOL.
After a few of those interviews happened word-of-mouth spread and the illegals stopped applying for jobs at the temp agencies I worked at within a few weeks.
Of coarse back then in the 90’s when you called ICE (or as it was known before INS) to report the incident and even offer to provide photocopies the answer ALWAYS came back no thanks!
It does my heart good to see that 30 years later ACTION is finally being taken in FAVOR of the legal american citizen!!!
As Czar of Defenestration said. But it’s a start.
During the Cold War it was called “deterrence” and I suppose it’s hard to calculate the cost benefit of it. But I tend to think in terms of unit cost and this seems like a fantastically high unit cost. Like the last ICE sweep, I think the final count was four well-paid/pensioned ICE agents to every illegal that was caught (not including ICE management, public attorneys, court costs and the cost of deportation/incarceration). I hope to God ICE is blasting the results of their expensive operations all over the place so that we can get as much bang outa these bucks as we can.
@cslamer — Seems to me the temp agencies would be an excellent place for ICE to focus.
A few high-profile actions targeting the employers and the rest will start to follow the laws.
And when illegals have no income source they will self-deport. It will take some time, but maybe a couple of years to see a major impact.