Government vows crackdown on illegal workers

The administration is toughening its stance on companies that hire illegal workers with the creation of a new audit office. This extra office will allow government specialists to review hiring forms from bigger companies with more employees.

So far, new policies have helped the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency audit 2,740 companies, which is twice as many as the year before. It also has levied a record $7 million in civil fines on businesses that employed illegal workers, the Associated Press reported. The Obama administration has used “silent raids,” as opposed to high-profile arrests and deportations favored by the previous administration, critics say. A new audit office would offer unlimited support to regional immigration offices investigating big companies.

“Ultimately, it is in a company’s best financial interest to proactively comply with the law now rather than to face potential fines or criminal prosecution for noncompliance in the future,” a spokeswoman for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency told the Associated Press. Government estimates say that more than 10 million illegal immigrants live in the United States.