As everyone knows, immigration is a hotbed topic these days. It’s not just a news topic, the government is cracking down on employers.
From January to July 2018, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) ran a two-phase, nationwide operation in which NOI I-9 audit notices were served to more than 5,200 businesses around the country. An NOI (notice of inspection) informs business owners that ICE is going to audit their hiring records to determine whether they are complying with existing law.
During the first phase of the operation Jan-March 2018, HSI served 2,540 NOIs and made 61 arrests. During the “second phase” of the operation (July), HSI served 2,738 NOIs and made 32 arrests.
With all the noise regarding immigration legislation, it’s wise to review I-9 practices, and make sure they’re being completed properly, and retained properly. Include regular self-audits. Improper, incomplete or missing I-9’s can result in large fines being assessed by the federal government.
“Businesses need to understand that the integrity of their employment records is just as important as the integrity of their tax records or banking files,” says Chicago-based ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) spokeswoman Gail Montennegro.
So make sure you protect yourself by making sure your company is accurately completing its portion of the form and the employee is completing his/her section, and check regularly to make sure things are on track.
According to ICE, I-9 audits “are one of the most powerful tools the federal government has to enforce employment and immigration laws.”
Here’s an interesting article on the issue from the Chicago Tribune.
Immgration Crackdown – Chicago Tribune
Here at WorkSource, to ensure all employees are legally authorized to work in the US, in addition to the standard I-9 process, we utilize E-Verify. It’s an effective tool to help ensure compliance, protect our comapany, and most of all, our clients. E-Verify
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