On September 23, 2009, Ms. Maria Refugia Camarillo, a 72-year-old grandmother, was sentenced to serve 44 months in federal prison for operating a marriage fraud ring from 1980s until 2008.  Ms. Camarillo had been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector [...]

On September 8, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) rule mandating E-Verify use by certain federal contractors and subcontractors became effective. The E-Verify program, a partnership of the DHS and the Social Security Administration (SSA), is an internet-based system that allows employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of newly hired employees, regardless of [...]

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the new I-9 form, what an I-9 form is, and the penalties for non-compliance.  The penalties, both civilly and criminally, are becoming too severe to ignore.  Civil fines for employers can range from $3200 (per violation) for a first offense to $16,000 (per violation)  for a third or [...]