Thread: Big names on list of companies ICE fined

September 09, 2010
Big names on list of companies ICE fined


Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have decided that they are no longer releasing information to the public on companies fined for hiring illegal immigrants.

Despite talking tough about cracking down on employers who break federal immigration laws, ICE is withholding the names and other identifying information about the companies it penalizes, essentially protecting them from public scrutiny.

Richard Rocha, an ICE spokesman, said ICE attorneys have advised them not to disclose information about the fines because of a pending case before the Supreme Court that looks at whether corporations have a right to "personal privacy."

We'd make the argument, however, that there is a public interest in learning which companies were fined. We have a copy of the list of companies hit with civil fines from 2007 through mid-July and, which was converted into a database and published here on the blog.

For example, Westex Well Services, a company headed up by Texas Tech University Regent Mickey Long, paid $60,984 to immigration officials earlier this summer. (That's the 16th largest fine nationally and the third-largest in Texas since 2007.)

Long was appointed to his regent position by Gov. Rick Perry in February 2009. He has contributed $135,000 to Perry's campaign over the years and is listed as his co-chair for fundraising based out of Midland. (Long did not return phone calls to his home or business seeking comment.)

There are some big names on this list of 220 companies: Koch Food of Cincinnati, LLC ($536,046), Johnson Dairy LLC out of Colorado ($100,800), and American Rice Inc. of Texas ($5,486).

The businesses ranged from remote egg and cat fish farms in the South to New York's Chelsea Art Museum, which was hit with a $9,770 fine in December 2009.

In Texas, ICE busted a Mr. Gatti's Pizza Store to the tune of $18,279, but we can't tell which location from these records.

We recently were denied a request for an updated list of companies ICE has fined through the end of August.

As part of a separate Freedom of Information Act request, we received some internal records in August on the government's new audit enforcement initiative that showed the government was failing to penalize some companies that had large numbers or percentages of workers with suspect documents. See that story here. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 80760.html

It seems that the central question in all of this is whether you all think this information should be made public, or if you think ICE is right to err on the side of protecting companies' "personal privacy"?

-- Susan Carroll



All civil worksite enforcement fines levied by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials from September 2007 through mid-July 2010.

The database includes the company name, date of the issuance of final order and the amount each of the businesses was ordered to pay. Click on any header to sort the results.


Company State Date Fine
KOCH FOOD OF CINCINNATI, LLC OH 2/10/2010 $536,046.00
CPEP INC & LAMC INC DBA PORT FABRICATORS TX 11/30/2007 $375,000.00
ACTION RAGS USA, LLC TX 1/26/2010 $360,000.00
ALPHA NURSING SERVICES, INC GA 3/4/2010 $188,727.00
OCHOA AG UNLIMITED FOODS, INC WA 3/10/2010 $120,000.00
PHOENIX STAFFING LLC WA 4/7/2010 $115,200.00
TRUGREEN LANDCARE. LLC TN 3/9/2010 $111,146.75
JMB DENVER, LLC AZ 5/20/2009 $105,000.00
JOHNSON DAIRY, LLC CO 4/20/2010 $100,800.00
A C WINGS LLC DE 5/17/2010 $100,000.00
NEW DIMENSIONS PRECISION MACHINING, INC IL 3/3/2010 $97,703.20
MAS INC MD 6/3/2010 $90,508.00
ISHI INC; ISHI III INC; ISHI TOO INC NC 4/4/2008 $87,000.00
ZIMMER-ESCHETTE SERVICE II, LLC LA 2/23/2009 $75,328.00
KAZI-LEDGEWOOD CA 1/27/2010 $65,005.19
WESTEX WELL SERVICES, LP TX 6/18/2010 $60,984.00
HAR CHERRY HILL CORP NJ 5/7/2010 $57,970.00
COATINGS 2000, INC NC 1/12/2010 $52,360.00
KAZI-HAZLET CA 1/27/2010 $52,102.19
SPLIT RAIL FENCE & SUPPLY CO, INC. CO 6/17/2010 $51,004.80
CINZZETTI'S ITALIAN MARKET RESTAURANT CO 12/1/2008 $51,000.00
SELECT PERSONNEL SERVICES CA 4/22/2010 $49,844.06
DILLON FURNITURE MANUFACTURING SC 4/15/2010 $49,480.20
MEDURI FAMRS, INC OR 8/6/2009 $49,225.00
ND BRANDS OF HOUSTON, LLC TX 5/28/2009 $49,059.00

( NOTE: This is just some of the 220 Companies Fined. This is the first page. Go to Link below and see the other companies. You can also see them state by state, or by name in alphabetical order )

Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement

http://blogs.chron.com/immigration/arch ... _se_1.html

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have decided that they are no longer releasing information to the public on companies fined for hiring illegal immigrants.

Aren't releasing the names of companies, or not fining the companies? It sounds to me as though the Obama administration has effectively given an amnesty to the illegals in a typically dirty and back door way - like they have done everything else. JMO

Border Fence Firm Snared for Hiring Illegal Workers
December 14, 2006
A fence-building company in Southern California agrees to pay nearly $5 million in fines for hiring illegal immigrants.
http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-262786-.html

Pilgrim's Pride to pay $4.5 million for hiring illegal aliens
December 30, 2009
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-183357.html


07/11/07
RCI Inc. officers forfiet $1.5 million for hiring illegal aliens
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases ... rapids.htm

September 4, 2009
Owner of Annapolis Painting Services sentenced for money laundering and hiring illegal aliens
Owner also ordered to forfeit property worth more than $1 million
http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0909/090904baltimore.htm

McDonald's franchisesee fined $1 MILLION for hiring illegal aliens
7/17/2008
http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... ds&start=0

Cincinnati firm fined $536,046 for hiring illegal aliens
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-188146.html