Month: July 2011

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a new round of
I-9 audits will soon be underway. The government agency announced last
week that it plans to audit the employment eligibility hiring records of
1,000 companies throughout the United States. ICE had conducted similar
reviews in February 2011; this current initiative will bring the total
number of I-9 audits up to more than 2,000.

I-9 audits determine whether employees at companies are authorized to
work in the United States. After ICE selects a company to audit, it will
send a notice of inspection, which will include requests to review I-9
documentation, payroll records, immigration paperwork, SSA
communications, details about contractors and other employment-related
information. Typically, ICE asks for such material to be ready for
review within three business days.

In late June, the United States Conference of Mayors passed a resolution
calling for comprehensive national immigration reform. Sponsors of the
bill included Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Laredo Mayor
Raul Salinas. The members of the conference passed the resolution at the
79th Annual Conference of Mayors, held in Baltimore, Maryland.

The two sponsors of the bill both explained in detail why it is necessarily to immediately enact immigration reform:

Villaraigosa: “Today’s immigration law lacks accountability and
responsibility, exploits undocumented workers, and undermines the
American workforce.

“The system must be reformed now. We must embrace the DREAM Act and the
millions of young people who would be given a pathway to citizenship
with it. We must embrace AgJobs to ensure that agricultural workers can
earn residency and stabilize their workforce. And we must provide a
path to citizenship for the undocumented persons who meet strict
requirements.”

Salinas: “For too long, comprehensive immigration reform has been held
hostage to political posturing and special-interest wrangling and to the
pervasive sentiment in Washington that tackling such a thorny and
emotional issue is inherently bad politics.

“As a mayor, as a Hispanic community leader, and as an American, I will
not accept the polarization and pettiness that prevents this nation from
addressing one of the great challenges of our times: comprehensive
immigration reform.”