At a recent meeting of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Chief of the Worksite Enforcement Unit at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the agency is continuing to engage in its campaign of auditing and investigating Form I-9s at businesses across the country.
New Notices of Inspection have been issued throughout the month of February and up to 1,000 are intended to be delivered in this latest round. ICE continues to encourage employer-end immigration compliance by penalizing businesses that are lax in their employment authorization verification for new hires. Fines and other civil and criminal penalties have been increasing in frequency and in their severity for companies maintaining incomplete or inadequate Form I-9s. The success of the U.S. government’s employment verification initiative has made its point loud and clear: Form I-9 audits are a part of the corporate landscape and are here to stay.
At Wildes & Weinberg P.C., we have developed a carefully trained team specializing in employment authorization verification. To discuss what compliance method works best for your company, or to inquire about a free Form I-9 compliance workshop, please contact Managing Partner Michael Wildes at michael@wildeslaw.com or by phone at (212) 753-3468.
