The Dept. of Homeland Security's (DHS's) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for an effective worksite enforcement strategy to protect critical infrastructure, target employers who violate employment laws, and protect employment opportunities for the Nation's lawful workforce. In 2009, ICE revised its worksite enforcement strategy to prioritize identifying employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, arresting and removing illegal workers, and using all available civil and administrative tools to penalize and deter illegal employment. From FY 2009 through 2012, Congress allocated about $531 million to fund and implement ICE's worksite enforcement strategy. Over that same period, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations directorate conducted about 9,140 administrative inspections and issued about $31.2 million in civil fines to employers. This report determined whether ICE is meeting the requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 through the administrative inspection process for its worksite enforcement strategy. Figures. This is a print on demand report.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Worksite Enforcement Administrative Inspection Process

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Contents: (1) Intro.; (2) What is Immigration Enforcement (IE)?: Authority to Conduct IE; Overview of Select Major IE Legislation since 1986; Interior vs. Border; (3) Types of IE; Removal (Deportation); Detention; Alien Smuggling and Trafficking; Immigration Fraud; Worksite Enforcement; IE at Ports of Entry: Immigration Inspections; Enforcement Between Ports of Entry; (4) Enforcement of Immigration Laws and Local Law Enforcement; (5) Resource Allocation: Interior Enforcement Hours; Border Enforcement; Comparison; (6) DHS Organizational Structure: Inherited INS Issues: Database Integration; Separation of Immigration Functions into Separate DHS Agencies; OIG Merger Report; (7) Conclusion. Charts and tables.

The opportunity for employment is one of the most important magnets attracting illegal immigrants to the United States. The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 established an employment eligibility verification process and a sanctions program for fining employers for noncompliance. Few modifications have been made to the verification process and sanctions program since 1986, and immigration experts state that a more reliable verification process and a strengthened worksite enforcement capacity are needed to help deter illegal immigration. This testimony is based on GAO's August 2005 report on the employment verification process and worksite enforcement efforts. In this testimony, GAO provides observations on (1) the current employment verification process and (2) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) priorities and resources for the worksite enforcement program and the challenges it faces in implementing that program.