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Worksite Enforcement

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Effective worksite enforcement plays an important role in the fight against illegal immigration. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has developed a comprehensive worksite enforcement strategy that promotes national security, protects critical infrastructure and targets employers who violate employment laws or engage in abuse or exploitation of workers.

An effective worksite enforcement strategy must address both employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, as well as the workers themselves. In worksite cases, ICE investigators adhere to high investigative standards, including the following:

  • ICE will look for evidence of the mistreatment of workers, along with evidence of trafficking, smuggling, harboring, visa fraud, identification document fraud, money laundering and other such criminal conduct.
  • ICE will obtain indictments, criminal arrests or search warrants, or a commitment from a U.S. Attorney's Office to prosecute the targeted employer before arresting employees for civil immigration violations at a worksite.

Critical Infrastructure Protection

In pursuing this strategy, ICE applies risk assessment principles to critical infrastructure and worksite enforcement cases in order to maximize the impact of investigations against the most significant threats and violators. For example, unauthorized workers employed at sensitive sites and critical infrastructure facilities—airports, seaports, nuclear plants, chemical plants and defense facilities—could pose serious homeland security threats. These investigations are given a higher priority.

Targeting Abusive or Exploitative Employers

Worksite enforcement investigations often involve egregious violations of criminal statutes by employers and widespread abuses. Such cases often involve additional violations such as alien smuggling, alien harboring, document fraud, money laundering, fraud or worker exploitation. ICE also investigates employers who employ force, threats or coercion (for example, threatening to have employees deported) in order to keep the unauthorized alien workers from reporting substandard wage or working conditions.

By uncovering such violations, ICE can send a strong deterrent message to other employers who knowingly employ illegal aliens.

Working with Employers

ICE also works with the private sector to educate employers about their responsibilities to hire only authorized workers and how to accurately verify employment eligibility. (Read more about the ICE IMAGE program.)

Recent News

10/9/2012 Washington, DC ICE and major meat processing company partner to protect nation's lawful workforce

9/27/2012 Rapid City, SD 9 South Dakota residents indicted for conspiracy to defraud US, harboring aliens

9/27/2012 Columbus, OH Ohio defense contractor partners with ICE for workforce integrity

9/26/2012 Fayetteville, AR Arkansas businessman sentenced for multi-state illegal alien hiring scheme

9/26/2012 Tampa, FL Florida Potato and Onion LLC becomes IMAGE certified

9/20/2012 Searsport, ME Maine chemical manufacturer partners with ICE

read more