ICE cracks down on employers of illegal immigrants

Department of Homeland Security officials arrested over 1,000 illegal migrants engaged in unauthorized employment since President Donald Trump took office in January, according to a Tuesday statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This sweep made history as the agency’s highest arrest rate, according to Homeland Security Investigations acting Executive Associate Director Robert Hammer. The arrests came as part of the Department of Homeland Security's initiative holding businesses accountable for knowingly hiring illegal migrants. Investigators subpoenaed records from about 1,200 businesses and proposed nearly $1 million in fines as part of the review, Hammer said. Knowingly hiring illegal migrants is a crime, and business owners exploiting illegal migrants will be prosecuted, according to ICE. Business owners can avoid prosecution by using employment eligibility verification tools, ICE added.

Is it so bad that migrants are here illegally as long as they’re working? ICE has a duty to enforce hundreds of immigration laws to protect the American public, Hammer said. Businesses that hire and exploit illegal migrants harm Americans, he added. ICE Detroit acting Special Agent Jared Murphey noted that illegal migrants can be used to further illegal schemes in the country. He alleged that a recently uncovered Chinese money laundering scheme used illegal migrants to staff a factory for the operation. As part of that investigation, officials ordered the multimillion-dollar seizure of 14 properties, seven bank accounts, and 15 vehicles, Murphey said.

Dig deeper: Read my report on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem encouraging illegal migrants to self-deport.