Civil fines for employers who violate U.S. federal immigration laws
will increase by 25 percent, on average, effective March 27, 2008.
This means an increase of as much as $5,000 per violation, for the
most serious category. These civil fines are being adjusted for
inflation and have not been increased since 1999.
Employers may be fined for knowingly employing individuals who are not
employment authorized, for failure to comply with the requirements
relating to employment eligibility verification forms, and for
immigration-related document fraud. The new minimum penalty for
knowingly employing unauthorized workers is $375. The maximum penalty
for a first violation is $3,200, and $16,000 for multiple violations.
These fines are assessed on a per-employee basis; thus, the potential
exposure for many employers is substantial.
DHS Increases Enforcement against Employers, the DHS monitors and
enforces workplace immigration laws through its enforcement division -
the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It should be noted
that DHS and ICE enforcement mechanisms against employers include not
only civil fines, but potentially criminal law charges as well as
federal asset forfeitures.
In 2006, Secretary Chertoff announced a tougher approach to the
investigation and prosecution of employer violations. At the February
22, 2008 press conference, he stated that, in fiscal year 2007, ICE
made 863 criminal arrests, which included 92 individuals in managerial
or supervisory positions. DHS and ICE also made over 4,000
administrative arrests during that period.
http://www.greencardapply.com/news/news08/news08_0605.htm
www.greencardfamily.com
www.greencardapply.com
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249108. Substantially Higher Fines to Increase Worksite Enforcement
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