11-01-2017
The acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently gave a speech discussing the agency’s intention to increase its enforcement activity at the workplace. Thomas Homan stated that the time spent on enforcement in the workplace would likely increase by four to five times what it is currently. “Not only are we going to prosecute the employers that hire illegal workers, we’re going to detain and remove the illegal alien workers.”
In the Obama Administration, ICE’s worksite strategy focused more on the employers than potential illegal workers. Mr. Homan asserted that this policy was over, noting that, “we’re always going to arrest a person who is here illegally.” The Trump Administration has made it clear that enforcement of the immigration laws is a priority. This priority will be evidenced through worksite investigations and strict review of visa petitions and applications. Fines for I-9 paperwork violations were almost doubled in the last year. Employers will have to be prepared for increased scrutiny.