Upsurge in workplace raids suggest change of tactic on immigration

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February 2007

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Upsurge in workplace raids suggest change of tactic on immigration
A significant number of workplace raids in recent weeks throughout the United States have resulted in thousands of arrests and the subsequent deportation of undocumented immigrants, sparking calls for reform among advocates of immigrant rights and fear in immigrant communities.

Worksite enforcement is a major objective of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), previously known as the Immigraiton and Naturalization Service (INS), now an arm of the Department of Homeland Security. Enforcement has escalated since December, when ICE made headlines with raids in six states on meatpacking plants run by Swift & Co. Arrests of illegal immigrants in those coordinated efforts totaled at least 1,282 according to the ICE website.

In January, four other major operations took place, some lasting up to a week. A sweep of a five-county Los Angeles region netted more than 750 illegal immigrant fugitives, including some who had been deported for previous crimes. The raids have struck fear in the huge number of undocumented workers and students in Southern California.

The size and scope of the raids have raised questions about worksite enforcement methods. According to its website, ICE made a total of 4,383 arrests in worksite enforcement cases in 2006. January 2007 alone produced at least 843 arrests, setting a pace for more than 10,000 this year.

An official in ICE’s public affairs office denied that the raids reflected a change of policy toward more aggressive enforcement. “This is something we do every day,” said Ernestine Fobbs, a spokesperson for ICE. “Our mission is to remove people from the United States who are a threat to public safety.”

But critics say the raids are the government’s way of sending a message to the business community. Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for the National Immigration Forum in Washington called the increase an indication of the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

“This is not an efficient way to deal with the problem,” Rivlin said. “All it does is terrify communities, remove parents from their kids and disrupt businesses.” There are more than 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. "We’re not going to deport our way out of this," Rivlin said.

To avoid the disruption and embarrassment of a raid, government programs to assist employers to ensure their workforce is legal are in place. The Basic Pilot Program is one option for businesses. It allows employers to cross-check employees’ vital information with a government database.

Bush administration officials are now promoting a new, much broader and more extensive investigation program that requires companies surrender their workers’ documents so the government can scan them for fraudulent information. In recent months however, raids on companies who use Basic Pilot, such as Swift & Co., have prompted an outcry from the business community. If by using the program in place they are not exempt from raids, they say, why would companies want to cooperate further?—John Celentani

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