Friday, February 15, 2008
Hiring of illegals may lead to jail for Arizona execs

The Business Journal of Phoenix - by Mike Sunnucks Phoenix Business Journal

A federal judge's decision to uphold the state's controversial employer sanctions law may be the least of some Arizona businesses' problems.

U.S. Immigration & Customs EnforceÂ*ment drastically is stepping up its audits of businesses suspected of hiring illegal immigrants, and the agency wants to put CEOs and business owners who blatantly violate federal immigration laws in jail. The Legal Arizona Workers Act, which took effect Jan. 1, only takes away their business licenses.

Julie Pace, an immigration attorney with the Phoenix law office of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP, has seen a major increase in ICE auditÂ*ing and investigating Arizona companies' employment records.

Pace said ICE launched about 30 audits of Arizona businesses in January, with a focus on sectors generally known to hire illegal immigrants: restaurants, construction and agriculture. She said some of those efforts have resulted in fines.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stor ... tory3.html