ICE Expands Employment Verification Enforcement From Paperwork Violations to Organized Crime and Transportation System For Illegal Workers

Fourteen Texas Busing Companies Implicated in Illegal Alien Smuggling Scheme

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 22 individuals charged with conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.  The arrests came after a three-month investigation into fourteen Houston-area transportation businesses.  According to federal officials, the individuals “allegedly accepted cash from alien smugglers to move undocumented aliens in vans and SUVs from Houston to other cities around the United States.”

ICE says these were not legitimate businesses, but were instead working exclusively with enterprises seeking to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States. Once the aliens had been smuggled into the United States, the busing companies paid commissions to smugglers to bring the aliens to them. The companies then charged the aliens up to an exorbitant $650 for a one-way ticket from Houston to cities throughout the country, such as Miami, Washington D.C., New Jersey and New York.

ICE also arrested 81 suspected illegal aliens during the operation, who were then placed in deportation proceedings, and seized 32 vehicles and 18 weapons, including one weapon that was reported stolen.

DHS Assistant Secretary for ICE John Morton called the operation “unprecedented,” saying that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is no longer targeting just one transportation company, or arresting just one driver at a time. “We are taking on the whole industry,” he said.

The Houston Chronicle reported that the companies avoided major highways that were likely to be patrolled by law enforcement, and traveled primarily at night. The companies paid commissions to smugglers, typically $200 to $300 each, to bring the smuggled immigrants to them, and would buy and trade passengers for fees. Apparently Houston has become a hub for these illegal transportation companies.

The Obama administration has stepped up inspections of employers' Form I-9 employment eligibility verification employment paperwork since last year. The Obama employment eligibility enforcement now targets employers through on-site investigations and administrative or "desktop" audits of required employment eligibility verification documents.

Kevin Lashus, a former assistant chief counsel for ICE, told the Chronicle that the ICE is evolving its enforcement and not just going after the employers — they're going after the transportation system, the underground trafficking routes that are used in Southern Texas and in Houston.”

Gerald Goulder is a North Carolina immigration lawyer with clients throughout the United States and the world.  His services assist employers develop recommended Forms I-9 compliance procedures and practices, and avoid substantial civil and criminal penalties that may be assessed for I-9 employment eligibility violations. His services include training company personnel on properly completing and retaining Forms I-9, creating company policies and procedures for all aspects of proper Form I-9 compliance, and conducting internal company I-9 audits of its Forms I-9.  His I-9 and worksite enforcement blog and I-9 employment eligibility verification website provide the most authoritative and extensive information on the Internet concerning Form I-9 compliance and employer sanctions laws. Contact Gerald Goulder through his websites (www.gouldervisa.com or www.I-9employmenteligibility.com) or by phone at 1-866-US VISAS.

Gerald Goulder is a North Carolina immigration lawyer with clients throughout the United States and the world.  His services assist employers develop recommended Forms I-9 compliance procedures and practices, and avoid substantial civil and criminal penalties that may be assessed for I-9 employment eligibility violations. His services include training company personnel on properly completing and retaining Forms I-9, creating company policies and procedures for all aspects of proper Form I-9 compliance, and conducting internal company I-9 audits of its Forms I-9.  His I-9 and worksite enforcement blog and I-9 employment eligibility verification website provide the most authoritative and extensive information on the Internet concerning Form I-9 compliance and employer sanctions laws. Contact Gerald Goulder through his websites (www.gouldervisa.com or www.I-9employmenteligibility.com) or by phone at 1-866-US VISAS.