Interim Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 enforcement numbers released recently by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the unit within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that enforces worksite immigration requirements, show a substantial increase in the number of ICE compliance investigations – including I-9 audits – conducted so far this fiscal year as compared to FY 2017.
The increase in audits is consistent with the Trump Administration’s intent, announced last fall, to quadruple worksite enforcement over levels recorded during the Obama Administration. ICE recently announced that it opened 3,510 worksite investigations since October 1, 2017, more than double the number of worksite investigations opened during all of FY 2017.
This increase in ICE enforcement activity is in line with the Trump Administration’s commitment to reform the U.S. immigration system to restrict illegal immigration and create more employment opportunities for U.S. citizens. In a related development, a recent Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) calls for increased collaboration between the agencies to better detect and eliminate fraud, abuse, and discrimination by employers bringing foreign visa workers to the United States.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.