Thread: Illegal workers booted, but what of their bosses?

Illegal workers booted, but what of their bosses?
Pacific Business News (Honolulu) - by Linda Chiem Pacific Business News
Friday, September 12, 2008

Recent immigration raids in Hawaii have all ended the same way, with federal authorities quickly prosecuting and deporting workers who are working illegally.

But it isn’t clear what happens to the companies that hired them.

Even as they highlight their efforts to find illegal workers, federal officials in Hawaii have refused to release any information on fines or penalties paid by Hawaii employers implicated in immigration raids.

U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo declined to answer questions about employer penalties. Representatives of several companies found to have hired illegal workers either declined to talk to PBN or issued statements saying they are committed to following federal employment laws.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the largest division within the federal Department of Homeland Security and which oversees enforcement of immigration laws, has moved aggressively in recent months in Hawaii and on the Mainland, targeting companies that are “job magnetsâ€

Civil fines start at $375
In March, the federal government raised the civil fines against employers who violate federal immigration laws.
The fines, which increased by an average of 25 percent, had not been changed since 1999.
Employers found to have knowingly or egregiously hired illegal or undocumented workers face administrative fines for each violation and each worker. In addition, those employers could also have all of their assets seized for the entire period that they employed illegal or undocumented workers.
First offense: $375 to $3,200 for each illegal worker.
Second offense: $3,200 to $6,500 for each illegal worker.
Third offense: $4,300 to $16,000 for each illegal worker.
Nonfraudulent paperwork violations, i.e. failure to accurately complete the I-9 employment verification form, carry fines of up to $1,100.

FIRST OFFENSE EVERYONE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO GO THROUGH STATE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICES WITH I-9S THAT GETS HIRED BY THESE EMPLOYERS?

STATE RECORDS WOULD SHOW WHO IS GETTING TO WORK IN AMERICA.