[AicapAifap] US Immigration

Sat Feb 17 15:49:49 PST 2018

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Newsroom 
LOS ANGELES – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
deportation officers and special agents arrested 212 individuals for
violating federal immigration laws and served 122 notices of
inspection (NOIs) to businesses in the Los Angeles area of
responsibility (AOR) during a five-day targeted operation that ended
Thursday. Eighty-eight percent of those arrested were convicted
criminals.
“Because sanctuary jurisdictions like Los Angeles prevent ICE from
arresting criminal aliens in the secure confines of a jail, our
officers are forced to conduct at-large arrests in the community,
putting officers, the general public and the aliens at greater risk
and increasing the incidents of collateral arrests,” said ICE Deputy
Director Thomas D. Homan. “Fewer jail arrests mean more arrests on
the street, and that also requires more resources, which is why we are
forced to send additional resources to those areas to meet operational
needs and officer safety. Consistent with our public safety mission,
88 percent of those arrested during this operation were convicted
criminals.”
During the operation, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)
arrested 212 individuals for violating U.S. immigration laws. Of those
arrested, 195 were either convicted criminals, had been issued a final
order of removal and failed to depart the United States, or had been
previously removed from the United States and returned illegally. More
than 55 percent had prior felony convictions for serious or violent
offenses, such as child sex crimes, weapons charges, and assault, or
had past convictions for significant or multiple misdemeanors.
These arrests were driven by leads developed by the local field office
in conjunction with the Pacific Enforcement Response Center (PERC).
ICE focuses its enforcement resources on individuals who pose a threat
to national security, public safety and border security. However, ICE
no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from
potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration
laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and, if found
removable by final order, removal from the United States.
Some of the individuals arrested during this operation will face
federal criminal prosecutions for illegal entry and illegal re-entry
after deportation. The arrestees who are not being federally
prosecuted will be processed administratively for removal from the
United States. Those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or
who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are
subject to immediate removal from the country. The remaining
individuals are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an
immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the
near future. 
Also as part of this operation, ICE’s Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI) served 122 notices of inspection to a variety of
businesses in the Los Angeles area. A notice of inspection alerts
business owners that ICE is going to audit their hiring records to
determine whether or not they are in compliance with the law. If the
businesses are found to not be in compliance with the law, they will
face civil fines and potential criminal prosecution. Any potential
criminal charges or other penalties will be coordinated with the U.S.
Department of Justice. Similar notices of inspection were served
several weeks ago to 77 businesses in northern California.
Under federal law, employers are required to verify the identity and
employment eligibility of all individuals they hire, and to document
that information using the Employment Eligibility Verification Form
I-9. A notice of inspection alerts business owners that ICE is going
to audit their hiring records to determine whether or not they are in
compliance with the law. Employers are required to produce their
company’s I-9s within three business days, after which ICE will
conduct an inspection for compliance. If employers are not in
compliance with the law, an I-9 inspection of their business will
likely result in civil fines and could lay the groundwork for criminal
prosecution, if they are knowingly violating the law.
In FY17, ICE conducted 1,360 I-9 audits and made 139 criminal arrests
and 172 administrative arrests. Businesses were ordered to pay $97.6
million in judicial forfeiture, fines and restitution and $7.8 million
in civil fines, including one company whose financial penalties
represented the largest payment ever levied in an immigration case.
HSI uses a three-prong approach to conduct worksite enforcement:
compliance through I-9 inspections and civil fines; enforcement
through the criminal arrest of employers and administrative arrest of
unauthorized workers; and outreach through the ICE Mutual Agreement
between Government and Employers, or IMAGE program, to instill a
culture of compliance and accountability.
By volunteering to participate in the IMAGE program, companies can
reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity
documents. As part of IMAGE, ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) will provide education and training on proper hiring
procedures, fraudulent document detection and use of the E-Verify
employment eligibility verification program. Businesses can request
more information about participating here.
Despite state laws like AB450 that intend to interfere with federal
immigration enforcement authorities, ICE expects employers and state
officials to comply with federal law. Federal law established by the
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 requires employers
to verify the identity and work eligibility of all individuals they
hire. ICE is the federal agency responsible for enforcing these laws,
which were set up to protect jobs for U.S. citizens and others who are
lawfully employed, and to eliminate unfair competitive advantages for
companies that hire an illegal workforce. ICE’s worksite enforcement
investigators help combat worker exploitation, illegal wages, child
labor, and other illegal practices.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-operation-la-results-212-arrests-122-notices-inspection
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