Posted on 11/24/2017 1:05:58 PM PST by TaxPayer2000
The forthcoming ICE operation is the surest sign to date that the Trump administration is ramping up ‘worksite enforcement.’
Federal agents are planning to conduct a major worksite enforcement operation at a national food service chain in the coming weeks, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) document reviewed by The Daily Beast.
The current plan is focused on employers who exploit undocumented workers by illegally paying them below the minimum wage. The operation will target locations around the country and will likely result in charges of “harboring illegal aliens,” according to an ICE official.
“These people are basically being used as slave labor,” said the official, who spoke to The Daily Beast anonymously because he was not permitted to discuss impending operations on the record.
The plans detailed in the document are the strongest indication to date that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are increasing what’s called “worksite enforcement”—meaning, efforts to prosecute people who employ undocumented immigrants. As with all complex law enforcement operations, there’s a chance this one is altered or even scuttled. If it does go according to plan, however, it will be the first major worksite enforcement action of an administration that has promised to prioritize this core ICE mission.
The food service industry is a particularly ripe target, with The Migration Policy Institute estimating that about 9 percent of food service workers in the U.S. are undocumented.
According to the plans, the operation will focus on franchise owners who exploit undocumented workers. The agency has already done preliminary investigations and picked targets, The Daily Beast has learned.
ICE is divided into two components: Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), which arrests and detains undocumented immigrants, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which investigates crimes related to customs and migration. HSI agents handle a host of issues, including art forgery, child exploitation, and drug crop eradication. They will also be helming this coming operation.
On April 27, 2015, Farrukh Baig—who owned and operated 14 7-Eleven stores—pleaded guilty to wire fraud and to “concealing and harboring illegal aliens,” according to the Justice Department. According to court documents, Baig and several co-conspirators hired more than 100 undocumented immigrants to work in his stores. He then used the stolen identities of Americans to conceal his workers’ identities. Because the workers were undocumented, Baig and his store managers stole much of their wages and then paid them in cash, below the minimum wage.
Baig and his managers housed the undocumented immigrants at homes near the 7-Eleven stores where they worked, and deducted rent from their paychecks. In all, their scheme lasted more than 13 years. Federal prosecutors said that over the course of two of those years, they stole more than $1.25 million from the undocumented immigrants working for them.
Undocumented workers are uniquely vulnerable to this kind of exploitation because many fear that talking to law enforcement will lead to their deportation.
The ICE official who spoke to The Daily Beast said undocumented workers who cooperate with the agency could potentially be eligible for U visas, which let victims of crimes who testify against their perpetrators stay in the United States temporarily.
Tom Homan, the acting director of ICE, said in a speech last month at the conservative Heritage Foundation that the agency would target more work sites in the coming months. He also said the agency would target undocumented workers as well as their employers.
“Not only are we going to prosecute the employers that hire illegal workers, we’re going to detain and remove the illegal alien workers,” he said.
“When we find you at a work site, we’re no longer going to turn our heads,” Homan said after the event, according to CNN. “We’ll go after the employer who knowingly hires an illegal alien... but we’re always going to arrest a person who is here illegally. That is our job.”
What? I-9 forms aren’t working?
I am surprised that they estimate 10% of food service workers are illegal and being paid below wage cash. With so much scrutiny of tax and financials at tax time by the IRS and state tax boards, how can any business still get away with this? I can see it for person to person small jobs but for a major chain? Curious as to what chains they think are the worst offenders.
Actually, it's the FIRST sign - 10 months after inauguration.
Better late than never, but it's also a sign that keeping political pressure on Trump to fulfill his campaign promises might occasionally result in real action.
Unfortunately, this may be just a one time political stunt to take our minds off the fact that a few days ago Trump extended “Temporary Protected Status” for 60,000 Haitians until after the 2018 election.
For those who don't know, those 60,000 Haitians have work visas and total access to government welfare because there was an earthquake in Haiti - EIGHT years ago!
And, for those who don't know, there are another 240,000 foreign immigrants in the USA who have the same “TPS” status as the Haitians, except for different reasons, like hurricanes that happened more than TEN years ago!
Not one person under TPS has been sent back to their home country by Trump since he became president.
Yes! Great news!
Tyson’s running a lot of help-wanted radio commercials in the Grand Rapids, MI area.
7-eleven having dealings with illegals? Say it ain’t so!
I’ve been calling for this kind of thing for years. We need to do a LOT more of it.
However, we need to do more than just impose fines. No matter how high the fine, they’ll just consider it a cost of business and pass it on to customers. We need to put these employers behind bars. Perp walk a few of them and see how much better the others behave.
Why THE HECK hasn't EVerify been passed yet?
Another new-found fear added since 11/8/26. The vulnerable and aggreived are coming out of the woodwork.
Go get ‘em!
My thought also. The term "national food service chain" is pretty vague though.
“ccording to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) document reviewed by The Daily Beast.”
Tells me everything I need t know about the article. Bullcrap.
I can't say this emphatically enough, BULLSHIITE!!!
The vast majority of these people are being paid minimum wage and higher, squirting out anchors for more free dinero, getting free medical, food stamps, housing assistance and unearned large tax refunds courtesy of liberals. The only ones forced into slave labor are the legitimate residents and workers of America forced to subsidize the illegals.
Hammer the employer's, oh people will cry because they won't be able to get their fast food and life will be inconvenient in other areas and a bit more expensive, but it will be worth it to excise the leeches that are sucking at our lifeblood and turning large parts of America into Tijuana.
The immigration system may, I say may need some tweaking, but that is not an excuse for uncontrolled invasion by the mostly uneducated and illiterate citizens of Mexico and the Central American States.
Big applause from me. What we should have been doing all along. How about charge them 10% of annual sales as a fine?
I hope they zero in on California. Make them PAY for their Sanctuary City policies.
Tyson’s Food?
“I Love That ERO” / sideways Randy Newman quote
“Prosecuting the employers? It’s about damned time!!!!!”
Exactly! Won’t be any illegal alien employees if no one will hire them!
And why the hell isn’t Trump enforcing e-verify, anyway?
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