39 businesses included in immigration probe

By Leslie Berestein
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
8:48 a.m. July 3, 2009

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SAN DIEGO COUNTY — Thirty-nine businesses in San Diego and Imperial counties are being targeted for audits of their employment records by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the agency.

The agency announced Wednesday that it was presenting 652 businesses nationwide with notices that it will inspect their I-9 forms, on which employees' identity documents are recorded. These businesses were chosen for audits based on leads and other investigative means, agency officials said.

The inspections are part of a new strategy that is intended to shift the focus of workplace immigration enforcement from employees to the employers who hire unauthorized workers, with federal agents pursuing more criminal cases against employers.
ICE officials would not identify the local businesses facing inspections.

Leslie Berestein: (619) 542-4579;

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