Another Immigration RICO Claim Bites the Dust!

The Ninth Circuit, in an opinion by Judge Tashima, affirmed the dismissal on standing grounds of a federal RICO (so-called racketeering) case based on alleged violation of the immigration laws:

“This case involves an Idaho county’s attempt to recover damages under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-1968, for additional monies it claims to have expended on public health care and law enforcement services for undocumented immigrants. Plaintiff-appellant Canyon County commenced this action against four companies and one individual under RICO’s civil enforcement provision, 18 U.S.C. § 1964(c), alleging that defendants engaged in an illegal scheme of hiring and/or harboring undocumented immigrant workers within the County, and that their actions forced the County to pay “millions of dollars for health care services and criminal justice services for the illegal immigrants.” … [T]he judgment of the district court dismissing the County’s federal RICO claims is AFFIRMED.” Canyon County v. Syngenta Seeds, Mar. 21, 2008.

As it turns out, RICO cases based on immigration violations have not been particularly successful.

KJ