December 31, 2008

Texas Company Pays $1 Million For Hiring Illegal Aliens

Employer Enters Agreement on Immigration Compliance

Republic Services, Inc., a Texas waste management and collection firm, has agreed to cooperate with the federal government in its ongoing criminal investigation of immigration violations at the company’s Wilson Road facility in Houston.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) first investigated the facility in November 2005 and found that approximately 25 percent of the employees were undocumented aliens. During a search in January 2007, ICE took 52 undocumented aliens into federal custody. Since that time, said Don DeGabrielle, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Republic has taken substantial steps to comply with immigration law, including terminating and/or disciplining responsible individuals, providing companywide training, continuing to retain immigration counsel, and implementing payroll software that includes I-9 compliance measures.

The recent agreement requires Republic to continue to adhere to its revised immigration compliance program and to pay $1 million to the U.S. Department of Treasury. In return, DeGabrielle’s office agreed not to criminally prosecute the company.

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