Smart Business Practices News Round-up
Pilgrim's Pride Raid: Economic Fallout
WRCB-TV (Tenn.); April 18, 2008
"'People are afraid to get out of their house now,' explained Maria Fuentes. 'Their afraid to go shopping or do their normal things. They just stay home and try to not get out...'"
Hundreds arrested in immigration raids at poultry plants
04/17/2008; The Associated Press
"Federal authorities carried out the sweeps Wednesday, arresting hundreds of workers at Pilgrim's Pride chicken plants on charges of identity theft, document fraud and immigration violations. Authorities also arrested dozens of workers at a doughnut factory in Houston, and the operators of a chain of Mexican restaurants in upstate New York..."
59 Illegal Immigrants Found Working At Virginia Resort
04/09/2008; NBC4.com (D.C.)
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested more than 50 illegal immigrants employed by a luxury resort in northern Virginia early Tuesday..."
Senator vows to target N.J. businesses hiring illegal immigrants
02/18/2008; Newsday (N.Y.)
"'Companies that knowingly hire illegals are destroying job opportunities for the working men and women of New Jersey,' said Sweeney, D-Gloucester. 'The practice has to be stopped...'"
U.S. Program to Verify Worker Status Is Growing
02/13/2008; The New York Times
"The number of businesses taking part in a voluntary program that allows them to verify electronically their newly hired employees’ legal authorization to work in the United States is soaring, the federal government said Tuesday. About 52,000 employers are now using a Web-based system, known as E-Verify, compared with 14,265 a year ago..."
A first look at who's signing up to verify workers
02/13/2008; The Arizona Republic
"As the number of Arizona employers enrolled in E-Verify grows, a picture has emerged of the industries taking part the most in the federal worker-verification program. Industries involved with construction, high-tech and hospitality are among those with the highest number of employers signed up for E-Verify. They also tend to be the industries with the most firms and employees, according to an Arizona Republic analysis..."
Immigration raid in Lindon, Utah nets 50 undocumented workers; employer indicted
02/08/2008; The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
"Utah's simmering immigration debate shifted from the state Capitol to ground level in Utah County on Thursday. More than 50 undocumented workers were arrested here during a morning raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on a metal factory..."
Homeland Security Seeks Funding To Support E-Verify System Expansion
02/06/2007; InformationWeek
"The U.S. federal government expects the number of employers using its electronic verification system for new job applicants to more than double this year to 100,000 and to climb to 300,000 by 2009. To help support and promote that increased usage, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the system, is seeking to increase funding for E-Verify by $40 million, up to $100 million for fiscal 2009..."
Can I sue rivals for hiring illegal immigrants?
02/05/2008; FORTUNE Small Business via CNN
"I'm a contractor who loses half of all residential jobs to firms that hire illegal laborers. They pay them less than I pay my workers and save on taxes plus all the types of insurance I must maintain as a law-abiding business owner. How can I pursue a lawsuit against my competition..."
Lawmaker on Long Island Wants Worker Status Verified
02/01/2008; Newsday (N.Y.)
"In the latest move on eastern Long Island to crack down on illegal immigrants, a freshman Suffolk County legislator proposed a bill on Thursday that would require the estimated 15,000 licensed contractors there to verify their workers’ legal status. The legislator, Brian Beedenbender, said the legislation, which would be the first of its kind in the state, would 'level the playing field for businesses' that already hire only legal workers..."
Democrats' immigration plan targets employers
01/24/2008; The Wichita Eagle (Ks.)
"Promising to attack the 'magnet' drawing illegal immigrants to Kansas -- jobs -- House Democrats presented an immigration reform package Wednesday focused on employers..."
Poll: Employers key to stopping illegal immigration
01/11/2008; Birmingham Business Journal (Ala.)
"A large majority of Americans believe cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants is the key to immigration reform, according to a poll of participants encompassing most of the political spectrum..." to view the entire poll.
Immigration agency adds resources for E-Verify help
01/09/2008; Arizona Daily Star
"More than 43,000 employers are currently enrolled in the program — with an average of 1,000 joining each week, according to USCIS..."
Local employers say E-Verify system works
01/07/2008; The Daily Journal (Ill.)
"Derek Denoyer knows every employee working for People Link in Kankakee County is a U.S. citizen. That's because before being hired, every job applicant at the temporary staffing agency has had his or her immigration status checked by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration, said Denoyer, vice president of People Link..."
Many Fresh Direct Workers, Facing Immigrant Status Test, Quit Jobs
01/02/2008; The Queens Gazette (N.Y.)
"City Comptroller William C. Thompson and Congressmember Nydia Velazquez have called on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to stop its audit of employment documentation at a Long Island City food delivery warehouse immediately. The company, Fresh Direct, a major online grocery delivery service, has already suspended between 100 and 300 warehouse workers, most of them Hispanic, who could not provide the required records of their residency status..."
Arizona goes after illegal hires
12/31/2007; The Christian Science Monitor
"A new law in Arizona that takes effect Jan. 1 aims to punish employers who hire workers without valid US residency. Even though this experiment is by only one state trying to fix only one piece of the US immigration puzzle, the law may provide answers for the whole nation..."
U.S. gets tougher on illegal hiring
12/05/2007; The Los Angeles Times
"'Up until now, some businesses have taken away the message that we're going to wink-wink at hiring illegal aliens,' Chertoff said. 'That attitude has caused the American public to become very cynical that we're going to enforce the border. This is a way of keeping faith with the American people...'"
Spectrum Interiors Admits Violating U.S. Immigration Laws
11/30/2007; WCPO.com (Ky.)
"The leaders of an Erlanger commercial drywall firm have admitted the company violated federal immigration laws from 2002 through 2006 to try and maintain a reliable work force..."
Mich. House Democrats target employers who hire illegal immigrants
11/15/2007; The Detroit Free Press
"House Democrats want to make it a felony for employers to knowingly hire illegal or undocumented immigrants in Michigan. A four-bill package would require employers to verify documents for new hires under federal rules, such as driver's licenses, passports or Social Security cards..."
Investigation: Illegal Workers Granted Secure Access At O'Hare
11/07/2007; MSNBC
"Twenty-three illegal immigrants were arrested Wednesday after allegedly using fake security badges to work in critical areas at O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac, authorities said Wednesday..."
30 arrested in immigration raid near Fort Benning
11/01/2007; Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Federal immigration agents arrested 30 workers building a museum of military history near Fort Benning. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 27 Mexicans and three Guatemalans on charges of immigration violations..."
Agents stage immigration raid at Scranton factory
10/25/2007; The Associated Press
Federal, state and local officials have raided a factory in Scranton, looking for people who may be in the United States illegally ... A plant manager told WNEP-TV that nearly 40 people were taken into custody, and some had worked at the plant for as long as 10 years..."
More Charges in Illegal Immigration Bust
10/17/2007; KSPR (Mo.)
"Federal agents make more arrests Wednesday at a Barry County poultry processing plant just 6 months after a large illegal immigrant raid. This time, seven U.S. citizens were arrested for harboring, hiring and encouraging illegal aliens to stay in the United States. Supervisors, managers and human resource employees involved in hiring at George's plant in Butterfield face federal charges..."
Arizona governor backs state employer sanctions law
10/17/2007; Capitol Media Services
"The legislation allows a judge to suspend a company’s state licenses or permits to do business for up to 10 days for knowingly hiring an undocumented worker. A second offense within three years results in revocation. It also requires all companies to check information about new employees through the E-Verify database program run by the federal government. One initiative being circulated for signatures proposes an even stricter standard, putting firms out of business for a single violation. A second, by contrast, gives more protections to some companies..."
Feds arrest 56 workers at 11 McDonald's
09/27/2007; Reno Gazette-Journal (Nev.)
"The restaurants in Reno, Sparks and Fernley and the and franchise corporate office were raided with search warrants. Keegan said a tip from local police after an identity theft complaint triggered the federal agency’s five-month investigation..."
12 illegal immigrants found working at Fort Bliss
09/14/2007; Houston Chronicle
"Twelve illegal immigrants working as landscapers at Fort Bliss were detained Friday by military police and turned over to immigration authorities, an official said. All 12 had fake IDs and one had forged work papers, said Jean Offutt, the Fort Bliss public information officer..."
Beef packers take steps against hiring illegal immigrants
09/07/2007; Dodge City Daily Globe (Ks.)
"Dodge City's two beef-packing plants were already taking steps to guard against knowingly employing illegal immigrants before the federal government announced it was cracking down on the practice, spokesmen for the two companies said last month..."
Immigration document surprises contractors
09/05/2007; ContractorMag.com
"Contractors must maintain I-9 employment eligibility forms and supporting documents for all employees, human resources consultant Stephanie A. Peters told contractors here. A handful of surprised contractors had not heard of the form, created during the last immigration reform drive in the mid-1980s during the Reagan era..."
Immigration Raid at Ohio Poultry Plant
08/28/2007; The Associated Press
"About 160 illegal immigrants were arrested in a raid Tuesday at a poultry processing plant, authorities said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seized documents and other materials at the Koch Foods plant in southwest Ohio and at Koch Foods Inc.'s Chicago-area headquarters, said Brian Moskowitz, an agent in charge of ICE enforcement..."
Migrants fleeing as hiring law nears
08/26/2007; Arizona Republic
"Undocumented immigrants are starting to leave Arizona because of the new employer-sanctions law. The state's strong economy has been a magnet for illegal immigrants for years. But a growing number are pulling up stakes out of fear they will be jobless come Jan. 1, when the law takes effect..."
Smithfield Raided -- Again
08/23/2007; The Associated Press
"Federal immigration agents conducted raids yesterday at a Smithfield Foods Inc. slaughterhouse and in neighborhoods in four surrounding [N.C.] counties..."
Owner of packing plant pleads guilty to identity theft in hiring illegals
07/24/2007; Pierce County Herald (Wisc.)
"The owner of Star Packaging in Whitewater could face six months in jail after he hired illegal immigrants..."
ICE Agents Raid Swift Plants in Colo., 3 States Again
07/11/2007; TheDenverChannel.com
"Agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement returned to at least one Swift & Co. meatpacking plant Tuesday with arrest warrants for people suspected of identity theft in an operation that garnered union support..."
OSHA slaps firm where immigrants were found
07/06/2007; The Boston Globe
"A New Bedford factory where immigration officials on a raid found more than 300 illegal foreign workers faces fines totaling $45,000 for hazardous work conditions, the US Department of Labor said yesterday..."
State assigns inspectors to enforce undocumented worker laws
07/05/2007; The Associated Press
"The [W.V.] state Division of Labor is preparing to crack down on businesses that hire undocumented workers. Five inspectors across the state have been added to focus solely on employers that have hired undocumented workers, the agency said Thursday. The inspectors will identify and cite violators..."
81 arrested in immigration raid at Poconos plastics plant
06/21/2007; The Associated Press
"Federal agents arrested 81 suspected illegal immigrants during a raid at a manufacturing plant in the Poconos. The company blamed an agency that provides temporary workers. All the workers arrested Tuesday at Iridium Industries Inc.'s Artube division have been placed in removal proceedings for eventual deportation, said Ernestine Fobbs, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement..."
Tenn. bill would yank license of firm 'knowingly' hiring illegal alien
06/08/2007; Knoxville News Sentinel (Tenn.)
"After weeks of argument over legislation to punish Tennessee businesses for hiring illegal immigrants, Democrats and Republicans have found a method they can agree upon. As originally proposed, the bill in question would have made 'knowing' employment of an illegal immigrant a felony and 'recklessly' hiring such a person a misdemeanor crime..."
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