Obama’s Silent Raids Continue

More than 1,000 businesses across the country have been notified in recent weeks they must submit documents for audit as part of a new U.S. government crackdown on employers suspected of hiring illegal immigrants, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ reports the so-called “silent raids” are the largest since July 2009 when just as many companies were notified, according to immigration attorneys, and weren’t publicly disclosed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that conducts such inspections.

When the WSJ asked ICE about the audits, the agency said it inspects company hiring records “when necessary…to ensure compliance with U.S. employment laws.” An ICE official said the names and locations of businesses will not be released at this time due to ongoing inspections.

For more information on silent raids, see David Bacon and Bill Ong Hing, The Rise and Fall of Employer Sanctions, 38 FORDHAM URB. L.J. 77-105 (2010).

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