Immigration Audits Ordered for 1,000 U.S. Companies
Posted on Nov 26, 2009 1:11pm PST
Due to increased attacks on undocumented workers in the U.S., officials have ordered that 1,000 companies will be audited. The announcement was made on November 19th and will bring the number of 2009 audits to 1,650. This figure has tripled since 2008.
Whenever an audit occurs, agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) take the time to review a company's records. They then determine whether employees have authorization to work in the United States or are illegal immigrants.
The 1,000 audits are part of President Barack Obama's strategy of downplaying publicized immigration raids, which are usually met with large, public protests.
It is reported that since 2007, 600 miles worth of fencing has been built along the U.S. - Mexico border. This year, hundreds more police officers were assigned to watch the border along with 200,000 border patrol agents.
In July, ICE conducted 652 immigration audits of large companies in the U.S. One of the most recognized audits occurred at American Apparel in Los Angeles, California. After the audit, the company had to fire 1,800 workers who did not have sufficient paperwork to meet ICE requirements.
During the next 1,000 audits, the ICE says that it will focus on companies that have a connection to, "public safety and national security--for example, privately owned critical infrastructure and key resources."
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