1,000 FORM I-9 AUDITS ANNOUNCED

News Release:
1,000 NEW WORKPLACE AUDITS ANNOUNCED
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton announced today the issuance of Notices of Inspection(NOIs) to1,000 employers across the country associated with critical infrastructure . ICE will be auditing their hiring records to determine the compliance with employment eligibility verification laws.

The 1,000 businesses that were served with audit notices this week, were selected as a result of investigative leads and intelligence and because of the nature of the business’ and their connection to public safety.

Audits involve a comprehensive review of Form I-9’s, which employers are required to complete and retain for each individual hired in the U.S. I-9 forms require that employers review and record each individual’s identity and work eligibility and determine the authenticity of the documents supplied by the future employee. Audits may result in civil penalties and lay the groundwork for criminal prosecution for those employers who knowingly violate the law. ICE has identified for I-9 audits as one of the most important tools in building criminal cases and bringing employers into compliance with the law.

STATISTICS SINCE IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW ICE WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY
ON APRIL 30:
45 Businesses and 47 individuals debarred;
0 Businesses and 1 individual was debarred during the same period in 2008
142 Notices of Intent to Fine(NIF) totaling $15,865,181.00;
ICE issued 32 NIF’s for all of 2008, with a total of 2,355,330.00
45 Final orders totaling $798,179.00;
ICE issued 8 final orders in 2008, totaling 196,523.00, during the same time frame in 2008
1,897 cases initiated;
ICE initiated 605 cases for the same time period in 2008
1, 069 Form I-9 inspections;
ICE initiated 503 Form I-9 inspections for all of 2008

In July, ICE issued 654 NOI’s to businesses nationwide in the largest operation of its kind before today.

STATISTICS RESULTING FROM THE 654 AUDITS ANNOUNCED IN JULY:

· ICE agents reviewed more than 85,000 Form I-9s and identified more than 14,000 suspect documents
· TO date, 61 NIFs have been issued, resulting in 2,310,255.00 in fines. In addition, 267 cases are currently being considered for NIFs
· ICE closed 326 cases after businesses were found to be in compliance with employment laws or after businesses were served with a Warning Notice in expectation of future compliance.

For more information regarding Form I-9's and employer compliance, please visit our website at: www.immigrationisssues.com

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