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ICE proposes million-dollar fines for companies that hire illegal aliens

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested more than 1,000 undocumented foreign workers without employment authorization.

Workers build a house

Workers build a houseAFP.

Diane Hernández
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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested more than 1,000 illegal alien workers without employment authorization since Jan. 20. The agency's Homeland Security Investigations directorate is also charged with holding companies accountable for hiring undocumented immigrants.

"This is the highest arrest rate in HSI's history," HSI acting director Robert Hammer stated.

The Trump Administration official revealed that his office has requested the business records of approximately 1,200 companies and, as part of the review, fines approaching $1 million have been proposed.

In accordance with President Donald Trump's executive order titled "Protecting the American People from Invasion," HSI is enforcing the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act and other federal laws related to illegal entry and unlawful presence of aliens in the US.

"Companies that exploit and hire undocumented workers harm the American public," Hammer stated.

According to the executive, ICE's legal obligations include protecting Americans and enforcing more than 400 immigration-related laws, which is why they have also increased immigration controls at workplaces, something that has been intensified during the last two months.

Chinese money laundering organization supplied factories with illegal workers

On April 2, ICE filed a civil lawsuit against a Chinese money laundering organization, ordering the seizure of 14 multimillion-dollar properties, seven bank accounts and 15 vehicles.

Jared Murphey, acting special agent in charge of ICE Detroit, revealed that the money laundering organization operated a staffing firm to supply illegal workers to a factory in Ohio and also housed that workforce illegally.

Other recent worksite enforcement actions include a large-scale operation in Louisiana that resulted in the arrest of 11 aliens, one in Pennsylvania that netted four arrests, and another in New Jersey that brought 16 illegal aliens into ICE custody.

Knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants is a crime, and the federal government will prosecute employers who exploit foreign workers, they warned.

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