ICE Announces 1,000 Workplace Audits

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) announced recently that ICE would be issuing Notices of Inspection (NOI) to 1,000 employers across the United States associated with critical infrastructure.   The NOIS will seek to determine the employers’ compliance with employment eligibility verification laws.

What is Critical Infrastructure Employer?

The announcement seems to focus on employers associated with critical infrastructure.  What exactly does this mean?  The 1,000 businesses served with audit notices have been selected for inspection as a result of investigative leads and intelligence and because of the business’ connection to public safety and national security—for example, privately owned critical infrastructure and key resources.

What Would the Audits Focus On?

The audits will involve a comprehensive review of Form I-9s, which employers are required to complete and
retain for each individual hired in the United States. I-9 forms require employers to review and record each individual’s identity and work eligibility document(s) and determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and related to that specific individual.

What Are the I-9 Audit Procedures and Fines?

By law, employers are required to maintain for inspection original Forms I-9 for all current employees. In the case of former employees, retention of Forms I-9 are required for a period of at least three years from the date of hire or for one year after the employee is no longer employer, whichever is longer.  The authority of ICE to perform I-9 audits is specifically granted by law and penalties range from $375 to $16,000 per violation.  Penalties for failing to produce a Form I-9 range from $110 to $1,100 per violation.  For employers with many employees, the potential fine amount can be substantial.

The procedures for I-9 audits and the applicable fines can be found in this Form I-9 Inspection Overview document.