It May Be Spring But Businesses Are Feeling the ICE

Winter May Be Over but There is Still Lots of ICE to Come

A few weeks ago, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) publicly announced it issued 180 Notices of Inspection to businesses in 5 southern states. In the summer of 2009, ICE announced it issued over 650 Notices of Inspection to businesses across the country. Some people said, “It’s about time”. Other businesses said, “They won’t visit us”. Still others recognized it for what it is…the beginning of a new strategy by ICE to hold employers accountable for the long standing law that requires identity AND work eligibility verification for the people they hire.

So, how does ICE decide which employer it will visit and demand to inspect all I-9 Forms and payroll records? ICE has a pattern of investigating industries with a history of hiring immigrant workers such as agriculture, construction, landscaping, restaurants, and other hospitality businesses. But it doesn’t mean just because your business is not in one of those categories that ICE won’t visit you next.

Many, many times, ICE acts on the basis of a tip from a “concerned citizen”. I’m sure many of you have “concerned citizens” as employees, customers, or competitors. Some ICE raids are the result of a tip form a disgruntled employee, unhappy customer, or mean-spirited competitor.

By whatever method ICE is tipped off, the results are the same – a worksite inspection of I-9 Forms that will most likely end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars in fines and penalties. It will also cost your business many hours of lost productivity for HR employees and company executives dealing with the demands of the inspection, not to mention it is a public relations nightmare.

My advice – take the time now to get your company’s I-9 compliance processes in place. This is a very complex matter and too many employers are trying to navigate it without the proper advisors. If you won’t do your own corporate tax return or write your employee’s insurance policy without expert advice, why would you do your I-9 Forms without seeking expert advice? It’s not worth the risk. Get the right advice and make a commitment to bring your organization into 100% compliance with employment eligibility verification requirements.

I-9 Okay is a team of dedicated professionals who are experts in I-9 compliance. We can help you achieve 100% compliance and protect your business from financial disaster if you are the target of an ICE worksite inspection.

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