U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) is the largest investigative agency in the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”).  ICE employs approximately 20,000 individuals in 400 offices across the United States and globally.
ICE Agents conduct criminal and civil investigations involving national security threats, terrorism, drug smuggling, child exploitation, human trafficking, illegal arms export, financial crimes, identity fraud, benefit fraud, commercial fraud and more.
In addition, ICE Agents execute Worksite Enforcement Operations. Last year, the agency audited nearly 3,000 companies resulting in more than $7 million in fines against businesses that employed illegal workers. The goal of DHS is to inspire the same level of compliance as firms already have with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).
ICE has launched an initiative aimed at educating employers about their responsibility to hire only authorized workers, how to accurately hire only “legal” employees, and how to accurately verify employment eligibility. (In particular, with regard to I-9 compliance.)
As part of this plan, ICE announced the Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (“IMAGE”) program designed to assist employers in targeted sectors to develop a more secure and stable workforce and to enhance fraudulent document awareness. Stay tuned for more details on the IMAGE program.
Berardi Immigration Law deals with all matters pertaining to U.S. immigration regulations and can provide assistance to you. Call us at 877-721-6100 or send us an e-mail by clicking here.