U.S. to raise fines on employers of illegal immigrants
The move is part of an overall push to tighten borders. Officials call it a response to a failed 2007 immigration bill.
By Nicole Gaouette
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration said Friday that it plans to significantly raise fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, part of a broader effort that includes improved border security after Congress failed to pass immigration-related legislation in 2007.
The hikes in employer fines will be the first since 1999. The new policy is the latest aimed at the most sensitive pressure point in illegal immigration: businesses that employ the workers.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has intensified raids on rogue companies in the last three years, prosecuting executives on criminal charges and arresting workers, who often use valid Social Security numbers, for identity theft.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff offered examples Friday of his agency’s heightened focus on company executives, including the human resources director of a Missouri poultry plant now facing a 10-year prison sentence for hiring illegal immigrants. Chertoff also pointed to the owner of an Indiana construction firm sentenced to 18 months in jail and forced to forfeit $1.4 million.
“These are the kinds of cases that have high impact on those who would hire and employ undocumented illegal aliens,” he said. He described the increase in penalties as “part of our effort to continue to make it less appealing for people to break the law” and “a way to keep that pressure up.”
For the entire article go to LATimes.com
The price of hiring undocumented workers is going up. If you don’t believe Corra, check out Arizona where companies can be shut down for repeated hiring of undocumented workers.
Pretty seen other states will follow suit and employers will be forced to implement more vigorous Social Security Traces and background checks on their candidates. And if your undocumented had a criminal records, yu might find the lawn enforcement authorities paying your business a visit. They will pick him up for deportation. This can prove embarrassing.
Corra finds that many Human Resource Managers are surprised when they run Motor Vehicle Records checks on their drivers. They discover the employee has a suspended license, and expired license, or as is the case with some undocumented workers, no license at all.
As a business owner, it pays to be careful. Be thorough. You might want to revisit your policy on hiring undocumented workers, before it comes to bite you where it hurts.
Check them out before you hire.
