ICE Director: “We’re Taking Work Site Enforcement Very Hard This Year.” Promises to Significantly Increase the Immigration Enforcement Pressure on All Employers.

In a speech at the Heritage Foundation, Thomas Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), echoed the Administration’s immigration enforcement focus on employers as a crucial part of curbing undocumented immigration to the United States.  Director Homan was the keynote speaker at the Heritage Foundation’s recent event, “Enforcing U.S. Immigration Laws: A Top Priority for the Trump Administration.”

According to Homan, employers are at the core of the American immigration problem.  “Unless you remove the magnets . . . they’re gonna keep coming . . . . As long as they’re coming to get a job, they’ll try to come.  So we are stepping up work site enforcement,” said Homan in comments after his speech.

All employers are at risk of random Form I-9 inspections and other employment immigration compliance reviews, audits, and investigations.  Employers must be on notice that now, more than ever, ICE is watching, investigating, inspecting, auditing, and penalizing.  “We’re taking work site enforcement very hard this year,” said Homan.  “We’ve already increased the number of inspections and work site operations. You’re going to see that significantly increase the next fiscal year.”

If you have any questions about this post or other immigration-related matters, please contact me at rglahoud@nmmlaw.com.