DHS reported yesterday that it made almost four times the number of worksite arrests and conducted more than double the number of investigations within the first six months of FY2018 than it did for all of FY2017. Worksite enforcement reports show that the agency carried out 3,510 worksite investigations, 2,282 audits, 594 criminal arrests and 610 administrative arrests -- significantly more than annual totals for the year before.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations Division Acting Associate Director Derek Benner said that the agency is focusing on "criminal prosecution of employers who knowingly break the law."
"Employers need to understand that the integrity of their employment records is just as important to the federal government as the integrity of their tax files and banking records," Benner said. "All industries, regardless of size, location and type are expected to comply with the law."
The increased numbers come after Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan called for the agency to prioritize shutting off the illegal jobs magnet that entices foreign nationals to illegally immigrate to the U.S.
For more on this story, see the Washington Times.
