8/10/2018 (World Journal) 編譯孫梁 聯邦移民及海關執法局(ICE)9日宣布逮捕13個蛇頭,指控他們把無證移民當做廉價勞動力,安排在明尼蘇達、內布拉斯加和內華達州的農場和西語裔的企業做工。ICE在8日還對11家農業企業進行突檢,逮捕了133個正在做工的無證移民。 明州Christensen家庭養豬場的總部和兩個分場遭到突檢,被控僱用和虐待無證移民。該場是全國最大的豬肉生產商之一,分布在中西部多個州,有近1000名員工。 ICE表示,他們質疑部分無證移民是遭到脅迫,或是受到威脅要向ICE舉報和遣返他們,而被迫在艱苦的條件下做工。 蛇頭還強迫無證移民把他們的薪資支票在詐欺者開的兌換點兌成現金,並對他們的支票薪資收稅,但兌換點卻不把收的稅交給國稅局。 明尼蘇達州聖保羅市負責國土安全調查的ICE執法人員柯米爾表示,被檢查的企業是故意雇用無證移民,通過欺騙工人以及通過對納稅人和競爭對手作弊,來非法填滿自己的腰包。 突檢的執行單位是ICE的國土安全調查部門,ICE表示,他們對僱用非法無證移民進行了15個月的調查,突檢行動是調查的一部分。 ICE認為17個人是蛇頭,其中13人8日被捕。ICE表示,在被捕的133個無證移民中,部分人將被關在拘留中心,其他人在確定出庭日期後獲釋,待到審案結束後被遣返。 ICE公布了聯繫電話,表示無證移民工人被捕後,親友可打電話查詢他們的身分。 6/21/2018 (World Journal) 記者董宇╱綜合報導 移民及海關執法局(ICE)19日突襲位於俄亥俄州馬西隆市(Massillon)的大型肉類加工廠「Fresh Mark」,逮捕146名涉嫌冒用身分證件的工人。據指出,這是近十年ICE最大規模的一次工作場所逮捕行動。 ICE官網指出,包括移民海關執法局、海關與邊境保護局和邊境巡邏隊,19日下午出動至少百名執法人員,突襲「Fresh Mark」旗下的四間工廠,包括馬西隆市莎稜姆(Salem, Massillon)、俄州坎頓市(Canton, Ohio)兩間工廠的200多名員工,逐一被檢查證件,最後帶走146人。 密西根州和俄州ICE國土安全調查小組負責人弗朗西斯(Steve Francis) 指出,這是川普政府迄今最大規模的工作場所逮捕行動,該公司官網顯示其員工超過1000人,他說,19日行動前,相關單位已經進行了逾一年的調查。被逮捕的工人,部分會被送到密西根和俄州的拘留中心,有些會被立即遞解,如果遭逮捕者有子女且無法立刻找到其他照顧方式,將先釋放,再等待移民法庭通知出庭。 Fresh Mark公司表示,一直都遵照聯邦規定,確保所聘用員工持有身分文件,包括使用「E-Verity」檢查員工身分,同時每年也會進行定期I-9審核。 移民海關執法代理局長侯曼(Tom Homan)去年10月下令,對企業加強執法力度,至今ICE已經逮捕超過600名沒有合法身分文件者,比去年同期的172名高近四倍。事實上,ICE約兩周前才在俄州逮捕了114名園藝工人。 此外,2017年10月到2018年5月,ICE已進行2282次身分檢查,幾乎比去年同期的1360次增加一倍。 弗朗西斯指出,故意雇用無證工人的企業,每次違規的罰款從約548元到2萬1916元不等,屢次違規者和聘用大量無證工人者,並可能因此入獄。根據ICE統計,去年ICE共因企業違反I-9法收到9760萬元相關罰款,較2016年的200萬元大幅增長。 6/14/2018 ![]() 美国边境巡逻队搜查非法移民。 当地时间12日,美国边境巡逻队根据情报对位于得克萨斯州南部城市拉雷多市的一处房子进行突击搜查,在这个两居室的屋子里竟然藏匿了62名非法移民。 据美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)报道,边境巡逻队称,屋内的食物和水非常短缺,这些移民正在等待前往美国的另外一个地方。首席巡逻官乔斯·马丁内斯在声明中表示:“这是边境巡逻队和韦伯县治安官办公室以及其他执法部门针对非法活动的一次联合行动,目的是查获犯罪组织,并保护人们的生命安全。” 据悉,巡逻队已经逮捕了这些非法移民,他们来自墨西哥、危地马拉、洪都拉斯以及萨尔瓦多等国家。当天,巡逻队又在拉雷多市北部的圣安多尼奥市的一辆拖车上发现了54名非法移民。 2017年7月,边境巡逻队在圣安多尼奥市的一辆拖车上发现数十名非法移民,其中10人已经死亡。该拖车的司机于今年4月被判终身监禁不能假释。 5/15/2018 BY ELLIOT SPAGATAssociated Press FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2018, file photo U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents serve an employment audit notice at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Los Angeles. Immigration officials have sharply increased audits of companies to verify that their employees are authorized to work in the country, signaling the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration is reaching deeper into the workplace to create a "culture of compliance" among employers who rely on immigrant labor. Chris Carlson, File AP Photo Read more here: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article211083859.html#storylink=cpy WASHINGTON Immigration officials have sharply increased audits of companies to verify that their employees are authorized to work in the country, signaling the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration is reaching deeper into the workplace to create a "culture of compliance" among employers who rely on immigrant labor. Expansive plans also have been drafted for a long-term push to scrutinize employers' hiring practices more closely. Under a 1986 federal law, companies must verify their employees are authorized to work in the United States by reviewing their documents and verifying to the government the employees' identity and work authorization. If employers are found to hire someone without proper documents, the employers may be subject to administrative fines and, in some cases, criminal prosecution. The recent focus on employers comes after a surge of deportation arrests of workers that started immediately after Trump took office in January 2017. The crackdown is likely to please immigration hawks among Trump's supporters but may alienate industries and companies that rely on immigrant labor. There were 2,282 employer audits opened between Oct. 1 and May 4, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday, nearly a 60 percent jump from the 1,360 audits opened between October 2016 and September 2017. Many of those reviews were launched following the January ICE audits and employee interviews at about 100 7-Eleven franchises in 17 states. There were 594 employers arrested on criminal immigration charges from Oct. 1 to May 4, up from 139 during the previous fiscal year, and 610 civil immigration charges during the same period, compared to 172 in the preceding 12-months. Derek Benner, head of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit, told The Associated Press that another nationwide wave of audits planned this summer would push the total "well over" 5,000 by Sept 30. ICE audits peaked at 3,127 in 2013. The agency has developed a plan to open as many as 15,000 audits a year, subject to funding and support for the plan from other areas of the administration, Benner said. The proposal calls for creation of an Employer Compliance Inspection Center to perform employer audits at a single location instead of at regional offices around the country, Benner said. Electronically scanning the documents will help flag suspicious activity, and the most egregious cases will be farmed out to regional offices for more investigation. Audit notices will be served electronically or by certified mail, instead of in person. Benner said that putting up to 250 auditors in one center with the right technology and a team of attorneys to quickly levy fines would enable his agency to audit between 10,000 and 15,000 companies annually. The proposal aims to create a "reasonable expectation" among employers that they will be audited, Benner said. "This is kind of our vision of creating this culture of compliance," he said. "I think it's a game-changer." Tamar Jacoby, president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a group that represents small- and medium-size businesses, said the "rising tide of enforcement" can hurt companies in tight labor markets and industries, like construction, and threatens to ensnare employers who follow the law but are presented with fraudulent documents by their workers. "It's just very hard to find workers willing to take some of these jobs," Jacoby said. In October, Thomas Homan, ICE's acting director, pledged to increase workplace enforcement by "four or five times," opening a new front in an immigration crackdown that includes a 40 percent increase in deportation arrests and initial funding for a border wall with Mexico. In April, ICE agents made 97 arrests at a meatpacking plant in rural Tennessee with a helicopter flying above, reminiscent of the high-profile shows of force that were common during President George W. Bush's administration. Benner said the agency will focus both on criminal cases against employers as well deporting employees who in the country illegally. Illegal hiring creates unfair advantages for companies, encourages people to come to the U.S. illegally, results in document and identity fraud and exposes workers to potentially dangerous conditions without overtime pay or health insurance, he said. It remains to be seen whether immigration authorities can perform enough audits to compel a similar degree of compliance that the Internal Revenue Service does on personal and corporate tax returns. One measure may be the number of employees who voluntarily enroll in the federal government's E-Verify system to electronically confirm if a person is authorized to work in the U.S. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies and an advocate for an employer crackdown, said the numbers show that the administration is following through on its pledge to scrutinize businesses but that it could take a while for a "culture of compliance" to take hold. "My hope is we're going to see some employers perp-walked, but that's harder than it sounds," he said. "It's hard to get the suits at a company ... They will have told lower-level managers what to do with a wink and a nod and there's no record of it." FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2018, file photo U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents gather before serving a employment audit notice at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Los Angeles. Immigration officials have sharply increased audits of companies to verify that their employees are authorized to work in the country, signaling the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration is reaching deeper into the workplace to create a "culture of compliance" among employers who rely on immigrant labor. Chris Carlson, File AP Photo Source: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article211083859.html (World Journal) 編譯張玉琴
移民當局為掃蕩職場的無證移民,對企業是否核實員工合法身分的稽查行動,已大幅增加;此現象顯示川普政府取締無證移民的觸角,已擴及工作場所,試圖讓仰賴移民勞工的雇主建立「奉公守法」的風氣;移民及海關執法局(ICE)官員14日預告,今年夏天將有另一波全美稽查行動。 美聯社報導,移民及海關執法局(ICE)並提案建議成立「雇主循法稽查中心」(Employer Compliance Inspection Center),將稽查工作集中處理,不再由分布全美各地的分處辦理;移民文件在該中心經電子掃描,有助於偵察出可疑案件,問題嚴重地區再交付地區官員做進一步調查;此外,稽查通知將經電子或掛號郵件寄送,不再由個人遞交。 根據1986年聯邦法律,企業必須核實受雇者的文件,確定其能否在美國合法工作,向政府證實受雇者的身分和工作權,雇主若被發現雇用無證移民,可能須繳交行政罰金,有的情況會遭受刑事起訴。 川普政府將掃蕩無證移民重點放在雇主身上,是因川普2017年1月上任後,移民勞工被捕和遭遣返的人數暴增;川普政府這項掃蕩行動可能取悅移民政策鷹派人士,但可能致使仰賴移民勞工的企業對川普產生異心。 ICE在14日指出,去年10月1日至今年5月4日的雇主稽查達2282件,比2016年10月至2017年9月的1360件,暴增60%左右。其中許多稽查發生於今年1月ICE對連鎖便利商店7-Eleven分布17州約100家分店進行的稽查和約談。 自去年10月1日至今年5月4日,有594名雇主因刑事移民控罪被捕,比前一會計年度的139人大幅增加;另外,在過去12個月中,遭民事移民控罪的雇主則由172人增為610人。 ICE國土全安調查部門主管班勒(Derek Benner)表示,今年夏天預定會有另一波全美稽查行動,在9月30日前,受稽查雇主將超過5000人;ICE在2013年稽查高峰期,稽查的雇主不過3127人。 班勒說,ICE已草擬方案,打算成立全國性中心,一年稽查1萬5000雇主。他指出,將該中心稽查員增為250人,再配備高科技,並由一個檢察官團隊加速課徵罰金,即可使ICE每年稽查1萬至1萬5000家公司。 | HAN, Liu, CPA | 韩柳 President, Principal Loan Consultant, Leader Funding, Inc. 电话: (240) 784-6645 Rockville, MD Phone: 301-366-3497 |
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