ICE Raids Restaurants – 29 People in Custody
The Baltimore Sun newspaper reports twenty-nine people were taken into custody in Maryland yesterday after ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents raided two local restaurants, an office, and several houses. This is yet another example of how ICE is using immigration raids and worksite inspections to hold employers accountable for the hiring of eligible employees.
After the raids, Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold was quoted as saying “In this economic climate, when people are hungry for employment, for employers to give incentives to illegal immigrants is egregious; it undercuts our spirit of fairness”.
ICE officials made it clear that the raids were carried out to ensure employers are held accountable for maintaining a legal workforce. All employers should hear this message loud and clear. ICE is committed to investigating employers concerning immigration laws and I 9 compliance. Employers who are not completing the Form I-9 accurately and completely are at risk and in the event of an ICE inspection, will not be able to prove they have acted in good faith to avoid hiring illegal aliens.
For most employers, they seem to think that if they are not actively seeking to employ illegal help they are “safe” from this kind of ICE investigation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Last week, ICE issued 180 inspection notices, at random, to businesses in 3 southern states.
Every employer is accountable for verifying the work eligibility of every person they hire by correctly completing an I-9. This includes US citizens! An estimated 80% of employers will fail an ICE audit due to paperwork violations, errors, omissions, and non-compliance with the employment verification process.
If you are an employer, you must take this seriously. Performing a review of your I 9 compliance procedures is a vital step to ensuring your business won’t make the headlines the next time an ICE investigation makes front page news.
Tags: eligible employees, I-9 Compliance, immigration raids, legal workforce, work eligibility
Employee Verification, I-9 Compliance, ICE Inspections | admin | 
March 12, 2010 3:41 pm
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