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€