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300 Arizona Supermarket Employees Fired After Immigration Custom Enforcement Audit
April 23, 2010 - About 300 employees at Pro's Ranch Markets' six Arizona supermarkets were let go Tuesday and Wednesday after an initial Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency audit found them to be working illegally in the United States. Pro's Ranch Markets, maintains that most of the affected workers gave the company forged documents when asked to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the United States. According to Julie Pace, an attorney for Pro's Ranch Markets "we complied with all the requirements, but they were still able to slip through," she said. Only citizens and non-citizens with work-authorization documentation are permitted to hold jobs in the United States. The company eventually could be fined as a result of the action. Pro's Ranch Market is among 1,654 U.S. businesses, including 84 in Arizona, that have undergone audits of their employee eligibility forms (I-9 forms), since July 2009. Virginia Kice, an ICE spokeswoman, would not say how many of the 84 companies audited in Arizona were found to have illegal workers. Some of the audits are ongoing, she said. Pro's Ranch Markets, based in Ontario, Calif., operates 12 Latin-themed supermarkets in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. .......... see story

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ICE Conducts Enforcement Operations at Maryland Restaurants
March 11, 2010 - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Baltimore conducted enforcement operations at two Maryland restaurants, one office and several residences in an ongoing investigation. During this action, ICE agents administratively arrested 29 undocumented aliens for being unlawfully present in the United States. "Today's enforcement action is part of a multi-phased approach utilized by ICE to ensure that employers are held accountable for maintaining a legal workforce," said ICE special agent in charge of Baltimore William Winter. "ICE is committed to investigating employers who engage in illegal employment schemes that utilize illegal labor to make an unlawful profit and give them an unfair advantage over businesses that operate lawfully." This ICE-led investigation was conducted with support from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, Anne Arundel County Police Department and Baltimore County Police Department. .......... see story

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Owner of Annapolis Painting Services Sentenced for Hiring Illegal Aliens and Money Laundering
September 4, 2009 - Annapolis business owner was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to six months confinement in a halfway house and three years probation for hiring illegal aliens and money laundering, announced U. S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.Owner was previously ordered to forfeit bank accounts, vehicles, and properties bought or paid for with the proceeds from the painting business, estimated to be worth more than $1 million. "Companies who knowingly hire illegal aliens are not only breaking the law, they are also creating a magnet that draws foreign nationals to enter the United States illegally,"  said William Winter, special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Investigations in Baltimore. "ICE will continue to investigate companies who engage in these illegal employment schemes and target the profits that motivate them.“ .......... see story

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Court Denies Emergency Motion To Suspend E-Verify Federal Contractor Requirement
September 4, 2009 - The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland denied the plaintiffs’, U. S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, emergency motion which sought to suspend the E-Verify Federal Contractor requirement, pending appeal. In an Order filed on September 4th, the Court agreed with the government on all points, finding that the plaintiffs had not met their burden of showing a likelihood of success in the appeal; failed to show the irreparable harm caused to its members; and did not justify a further delay. The Court also agreed with the government that “granting the injunction, which would reverse the Executive Order of two Presidents for the benefit of private subcontractors, is not in the public interest.” This issue now rests with the 4th Circuit Appeals Court which, is not likely to render a decision soon. .......... see story

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DHS Secretary Optimistic on Immigration Policy Overhaul
August 28, 2009 - The Dallas Morning News reports that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano remains optimistic that a bipartisan immigration-policy overhaul bill will eventually get through Congress. However, given current focus by the White House and Congress with healthcare reform, Napolitano could not predict when a bill would be introduced. Napolitano stated that immigration legislation needs to focus on the following: Developing or strengthening penalties for employers that repeatedly hire illegal immigrants; Countering new tactics used by human traffickers and money launderers to exploit the border; Developing programs that allow seasonal workers to enter the U.S. legally; and Updating the visa process so that students with skills needed by the U.S. can remain in the country. Napolitano expressed her opposition to amnesty, and stated that she favors an approach allowing illegal immigrants to pay fines and taxes without incurring criminal liability. .......... see story

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Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 Extended to August 31, 2012
August 27, 2009 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Office of Management and Budget has extended its approval of Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) to Aug. 31, 2012. Consequently, USCIS has amended the form to reflect a new revision date of Aug. 7, 2009. Employers may use the Form I-9 with the revision date of either Aug. 7, 2009 or Feb. 2, 2009. The revision dates are located on the bottom right-hand portion of the form. .......... see story

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652 businesses nationwide being served with audit notices today
WASHINGTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is launching a bold, new audit initiative today by issuing Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 652 businesses nationwide - which is more than ICE issued throughout all of last fiscal year. The notices alert business owners that ICE will be inspecting their hiring records to determine whether or not they are complying with employment eligibility verification laws and regulations. .......... see story

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Federal Contractor Rule Delayed
June 11, 2009. Federal contractors and subcontractors will be required to begin using the E-Verify system starting September 8, 2009, to verify their employees’ eligibility to legally work in the United States. In a final rule published in the Federal Register, the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council amended the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to reflect this change. The new rule implements Executive Order 12989, as amended by President George W. Bush on June 6, 2008, directing federal agencies to require that federal contractors agree to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their employees. The amended Executive Order reinforces the policy that the federal government supports a legal workforce. This new rule requires federal contractors to agree, through language inserted into their federal contracts, to use E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires during a contract term, and to confirm the employment eligibility of federal contractors’ current employees who perform contract services for the federal government within the United States. Once the FAR becomes the Rule for Federal Contracts, you will have 30 days to comply. This will not be sufficient time to build E-Verify into the business processes of your organization. CONTACT i9DIRECT TODAY FOR YOUR TOTAL I-9 COMPLIANCE SOLUTION 866-825-4122 .......... see story

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Nebraska Law Mandates Contractors and Public Employers Use E-Verify
Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has signed into law a bill (LB 403) that will require public employers and contractors to register with and use the federal government's E-Verify program to determine the employment eligibility of new hires. The law will go into effect October 1, 2009. Public contractors are defined as "any contractor or his or her subcontractor who is awarded a contract by a public employer for the physical performance of services within the State of Nebraska." The law also requires Nebraska's public employers to verify the legal status of all applicants trying to collect public benefits, directing the public employer not to provide benefits to a persons illegally present in the United States.. While the bill does not require private employers to use E-Verify, the bill creates tax incentives for entities that use E-Verify. .......... see story

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DHS Shifting Focus of Workplace Enforcement to Employers
April 30, 2009. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that it is shifting the department's immigration enforcement efforts to the employers that hire undocumented workers. The announcement is an abrupt departure from the Bush Administration's focus on detaining illegal workers to better target what senior DHS officials deemed “the root causes of illegal immigration”. DHS will provide ICE agents today with new instructions to target employers and supervisors for prosecution through carefully planned criminal investigations. The guidelines call on agents to seek civil penalties, including fines and disbarment from federal contracts, in cases where they do not have enough evidence to press criminal charges. .......... see story

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Mississippi E-Verify Law takes affect
AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION ACT; TO PROVIDE PROCEDURES FOR NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES AND THEIR EMPLOYERS; TO ENACT DEFINITIONS; TO REQUIRE EMPLOYEE VERIFICATION; TO PROVIDE EMPLOYER LIABILITY; TO SET UP EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS; TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THIRD-PARTY EMPLOYERS; TO DEFER TO FEDERAL LAW IN STATE LAW; TO ENACT EXEMPTIONS; TO DESIGNATE ENFORCEMENT DUTIES UNDER THE ACT; TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. .......... see story

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ICE arrests 32 in operation targeting illegal workers at Puget Sound-area aerospace manufacturer
ARLINGTON, Wash. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed a federal civil search warrant this morning at an aircraft manufacturing plant here, arresting 32 of the company's workers on administrative immigration violations. The search warrant was executed at Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. (AMT), a leading supplier of frame and interior parts for commercial and military aircraft. AMT provides many of the parts used in some of aviation's most popular airplanes, including the Boeing 737 and Boeing 777. Today's operation is part of ICE's worksite enforcement effort focusing on critical infrastructure and security sensitive sites. AMT is registered with the U.S. Department of State's Director of Defense Trade Controls, which oversees the export and import of certain products that can be used for national defense purposes. The unauthorized workers included foreign nationals from two countries - Mexico (30) and El Salvador (2). The group includes 16 men and 16 women. .......... see story

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DHS Designates E-Verify as Employment Eligibility Verification System for All Federal Contractors
President George W. Bush has amended Executive Order 12989 in order to direct all federal departments and agencies to require contractors, as a condition of each future federal contract, to agree to use an electronic employment eligibility verification system – designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security – to verify the employment eligibility of all persons hired during the contract term and all persons performing work within the United States on the federal contract. .......... see story

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The cost of hiring 126 illegal aliens: $6.8 million.
A family owned commercial fishing business in Virginia and two of its owners paid $6.8 million in fines and forfeitures after pleading guilty to hiring 126 illegal aliens to work on their boats. .......... see story

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Fake Documents Operation Shut Down in Del.
WILMINGTON, Del.- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Tuesday the arrest of a Mexican national on federal charges that he was producing and misusing immigration documents. Pedro Altatenco-Luna had his initial appearance in federal court for the District of Delaware and was ordered held in custody. Altatenco-Luna has been charged by the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware with producing identification documents and fraud and misuse of immigration documents. .......... see story