Nethaway: Target employers in workplace raids

Friday, August 01, 2008

Workforce raids by federal officers have netted a boatload of illegal immigrants but only a carload of law-breaking employers.

Unless employers who break the nation’s immigration laws are held accountable, workplace raids will be a waste of time.

It was obvious more than 20 years ago that the key to combatting illegal immigration was to make it illegal to hire illegal immigrants.

Simply passing a law declaring some activity illegal does little if not accompanied by penalties that are enforced.

That has been the primary reason why U.S. illegal immigration numbers have swelled to more than 12 million since 1986.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 required U.S. employers to provide paperwork to show that they had not hired illegal immigrants. Employers could be fined up to $1,000 for violating the paperwork requirement and up to $10,000 for “knowinglyâ€