Thread: KRATOVIL INTRODUCES CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR UNAUTHORIZED

KRATOVIL INTRODUCES CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR UNAUTHORIZED EMPLOYMENT ACT OF 2010

States News Service
February 22, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C.

The following information was released by the office of Maryland Rep. Frank M. Kratovil, Jr.:

Today, Rep. Frank Kratovil Introduced H.R. 4627, the Criminal Penalties for Unauthorized Employment Act of 2010.

The legislation expands the criminal and civil penalties that apply to employers who knowingly hire unauthorized aliens.

A key to ending illegal immigration is reducing the incentives for individuals to cross the border looking for work, said Rep. Kratovil.

"We need serious enforcement of the rules already on the books, but we also need to let employers know that they too are breaking the law and damaging our economy when they hire undocumented, illegal immigrants."

The Criminal Penalties for Unauthorized Employment Act of 2010 is designed to replace the current pattern or practice of violations determination as a prerequisite to imposition of criminal penalties against employers and instead authorize imprisonment for any individual with direct hiring authority who knowingly hires an illegal alien.

If passed, the bill will significantly increase the maximum terms of imprisonment, criminal fines, and civil fines that apply for such violations.

Under current federal law, criminal penalties for knowingly hiring an unauthorized alien only apply upon a showing that a person or entity engages in a pattern or practice of violations.

If a pattern or practice of violations can be established, the individual is subject to a fine of $3,000 for each illegal alien and/or imprisoned for a maximum of 6 months for the entire pattern or practice.

Under Rep. Kratovils legislation any individual with direct hiring authority who hires an unauthorized alien would be subject to a punishment of $25K and/or 1 year in prison per violation, with penalties increasing for repeat violators.

Employers who hire illegal immigrants are not only breaking the law, but they are also undermining the legal immigration system, creating an unfair advantage over employers who are playing by the rules, and hurting American workers, said Rep. Kratovil.

We can't make progress toward reducing illegal immigration until we get serious about cracking down on the bad actors who are creating the incentives.

In the coming weeks, I will be discussing this bill with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and building momentum in the Congress to get it passed.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 85&start=2

Mandatory e-verify will go a long way to ensuring that if an employer did hire an illegal alien, it was definitely knowingly.