Thread: Labor Expert Expects Fewer ICE Raids, More Paperwork

Industry News - PM
LIVE FROM IPE: Labor expert expects fewer ICE raids, more paperwork

By Bill McDowell on 1/29/2009

Poultry 101
ATLANTA—Labor attorney Jim Wimberly on Thursday told attendees at the International Poultry Expo to expect a shift in immigration enforcement, away from high-profile raids in favor of quieter, but equally costly, administrative audits.

Wimberly, senior principal of Wimberly, Lawson, Steckel, Schneider & Stine, said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency wants to avoid the negative publicity and high cost of large-scale raids. "A good size raid costs more than $1 million,' he said. "One had more than 500 agents, some coming in from as far as Hawaii."

Further, ICE administrators have been stung by television images of agents separating families and steering frightened workers into makeshift courtroom trailers, he said.

ICE is increasingly moving toward pre-emptive audits of I9 paperwork, Wimberly said. He added that any company who gets an I9 audit letter from ICE better take it seriously.

"In most cases, if you get such a letter it means you are in a company, industry or area of the country under 'great suspicion' of violation," he said. "Before they even send the letter, they already know a lot abut your company."

Wimberly cited one example of a company that discovered an ICE vehicle parked outside their plant. "They were counting heads," Wimberly said. "They suspected the company was using employees off the books."

Another new tactic is sending letters that note administrative errors in I9 forms and threatening fines if errors are not corrected within a short time frame. "The problem is, in many cases, the forms refer to employees that are no longer there," he said.

Whatever method will stop the hiring of illegal aliens work for me!

miguelina wrote:

Whatever method will stop the hiring of illegal aliens work for me!

Not me, I want to see illegals rounded up and sent home. Yep, I want my cake and to eat it too. I prefer the whole enchilada but guess just the meat and cheese could satisfy me in the short term. However, I eventually want to see them go home, whether it be under their own power or the power of federal law enforcement.

I like a good old fashioned raid because it's something quantitative that we can see.

I want to hear they are doing their job and we are getting our moneys worth...

I don't mind them doing it different if it will shut up those special interest groups, but I do expect them to do it, how is up to them and they should report it so we know they are doing what they are being paid to do!

enforce the laws and send a message you will not get away with crossing our damn border unlawfully

Making E-Verify mandatory for ALL employers, auditing I-9 forms and passing the SAVE ACT would cut down on mass raids. If there are no jobs and benefits for them, they will have no choice but to leave. ENFORCEMENT works!

"ICE is moving increasingly toward pre-emptive audits of I9 paperwork...."
This news should please vmonkey56, who always posts replies on this subject.