Federal Government Turns Up The Heat On I-9 Violators
By Greg Berk
The U.S. Attorneys Office in San Diego has recently criminally prosecuted a French bakery for allegedly engaging in an intentional pattern and practice of hiring unauthorized workers. As part of the indictment, the Government is seeking hefty monetary fines, prison time for the owner and management, and asset forfeiture of the entire business to the Government. While the Government does not have experience running a French bakery, they are getting very serious about enforcing I-9 regulations.
Congress and the Executive Branch are frustrated with the entire immigration process in the United States. In 1986, Congress passed a blanket amnesty for millions of undocumented individuals and simultaneously created employer sanctions for employers who hire undocumented individuals. INS immediately created the I-9 Form to effectuate that law. This one page form was supposed to seal the borders by taking away the incentive for people to cross the border illegally – namely jobs. Of no surprise to many, the Form I-9 was not successful in sealing the borders. A large shortage of unskilled workers continued to exist, fake documents that looked genuine were easily available on the black market, and our long Southern border was not easily sealable. This created a difficult situation for the government to enforce the I-9 regulations.
The Department of Homeland Security is working very hard to utilize advances in technology and data mining to develop a more effective I-9 system, as well the use of technology to better seal the borders. The E-Verify I-9 internet based confirmation system is being continually enhanced. In addition, biometric social security cards and other ideas are being advanced.
Employer sanctions are likely to grow as Congress and the Executive Branch consider a possible guest worker program or amnesty. Our Firm recommends that employers re-double their efforts to make sure their current I-9’s conform to the law. Here is the CDF list of Top 10 tips to help employers comply:
1. After an Employer makes a job offer and the applicant accepts the offer, request that the I-9 be filled out and examine the original documents that the applicant chooses to show as proof of work authorization. Once an offer has been accepted, an Employer does not need to wait until the first day of employment to I-9 the individual. However, the I-9 form should be done no later than the third day of hire.
2. Make sure the I-9 is completely and accurately filled out by both the new hire and your company. Take the time to carefully review the answer for each field of the form.
3. Suggest also stapling copies of the original documents to the I-9 as further evidence that the original documents were actually examined and proof that the documents appeared legitimate.
4. Never pay cash to an individual who is not work authorized as a means of circumventing the I-9 regulations. Never classify an individual as an independent contractor in an attempt to circumvent the I-9 regulations.
5. Never accept expired documents from new hires. The only exception is a 90 day grace period for new hires that are U.S. Citizens or green card holders that have already applied for a replacement document – i.e. a replacement of a U.S. passport, state driver’s license etc.
6. The I-9 form divides up the workforce into 4 categories – U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals (Samoa and Swain Island), permanent residents, and aliens authorized to work for a limited duration. Once verified, it is this latter category that must very carefully tracked since their work authorization will expire – i.e. work permits, H-1B petitions, TN workers, etc. Employers should not reverify the I-9 of an existing U.S. Citizen, U.S. national or permanent resident employee merely because their documents have expired. Once hired, foreign national workers on temporary employment authorization must be carefully tracked.
7. Maintain the I-9 records for employees for 3 years from the date of termination. Keep all your I-9’s in binders – separate current employees from terminated employees. In the event of an I-9 audit by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), this will make it much easier to produce them within the 3 days requested by the agency. Scanning and making digital copies at the time of hire is also a good practice. Do not keep the I-9 in the employee’s HR file.
8. ICE recognizes a good faith exception to occasional I-9 errors that are de minimus and inadvertent. When conducting an I-9 audit within your company, if you find errors or incomplete forms, we suggest you take a red pen and make any corrections. Do not destroy any evidence or alter any evidence. You may also annotate in the margin of the I-9 why you made a particular correction and date it, or you can attach an explanatory memo. In some cases, it is easier to fill out a brand new I-9 instead and staple it on top of the old one.
9. In tricky situations, do not rely on the employee for advice as to whether they are work authorized. When in doubt, consult with experienced counsel.
10. Take the I-9 seriously. They are here to stay and the government is turning up the heat. The consequences of not complying are great – monetary fines, jail time, and asset forfeiture of the entire business.
Carlton, DiSante, & Freudenberger LLP has an experienced immigration practice group ready to assist your company with any I-9 issues as well as the full gamut of employment visas. For assistance, contact Attorney Greg Berk at gberk@cdflaborlaw.com.