Immigration authorities fine New Bedford fish plants for hiring illegal workers
Immigration authorities fine New Bedford fish plants for hiring illegal workers
November 14, 2012 1:45 PM
NEW BEDFORD — Three city seafood processors suspected of hiring illegal workers have been fined by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Northern Pelagic Group, or NORPEL, which processes herring on Fish Island was fined $151,200; Pier Fish Co. was fined $2,200; and Cap Seafood on MacArthur Boulevard was fined $9,804.
New Bedford lawyer Chris Saunders, who represents Pier Fish said that the company did not employ any illegal workers but was fined for errors in completing the paperwork required by the audit.
“It's a civil penalty of $440 for each violation and there were five instances” out of the 50 employees, he said. It was simply human error with certain boxes on the form not checked or information filled in incorrectly, he said.
Following an investigation launched in 2009 to reduce the demand for illegal employment, ICE began an audit of employers suspected of hiring people who are not authorized to work.
In Massachusetts, 17 employers have been fined a total of $350,000 in fiscal 2012, according to a statement ICE issued today.
“We encourage employers to take the employment verification process seriously, as we expand the number of audits we are conducting throughout Massachusetts each year,” said Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of homeland security investigations in Boston.
"My agency will continue to focus its attention on employers that are knowingly employing illegal workers and will continue to target specific industries and businesses known or alleged to hire illegals.”
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