ICE CHURNS OUT I-9 AUDITS AND FINES

Following an investigation and audit of Form I-9 documents by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), 14 New England employers have been fined this fiscal year for various violations that enabled companies to hire illegal aliens.

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Fines in the New England region include:

• Jasper Wyman & Son, a company in Milbridge, Maine, accounted for $118,000 of the fine settlements;
• Commercial Cleaning Service of Allston, Mass., was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine; and
• D’Agostino Associates, Inc., Newton, Mass., was fined $22,792.

Nationally, from fiscal year 2009 to date, ICE has initiated Form I-9 inspections against nearly 4,000 businesses resulting in fines of nearly $7 million.

“These settlements serve as a reminder to employers that ICE will continue to hold them accountable for hiring and maintaining a legal and compliant workforce,” said Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Boston. “We encourage companies to take the employment verification process seriously.”

The large high profile company raids by ICE are largely a thing of the past.  The Administration has shifted its focus to I-9 audits.  It can reach  many more busineesses by engaging in these type of ‘silent raids.’  The audits and fines are reminders to companies to consult with their immigration counsel and make sure they are in proper compliance.