U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (‘˜ICE’) has launched a new effort to audit the Form I-9 employment eligibility verification records of businesses nationwide. According to the Los Angeles Times, ICE issued audit notices to more than 650 businesses around the nation on July 1, 2009.

As an immigration attorney, I spend a great deal of time working with employers to achieve Form I-9 Compliance. As of February 2, 2009, all employers must begin using the newly released I-9 form to verify the employment eligibility of all new hires.