ICE Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal Labor to Protect American Workers

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), under the Trump administration, has launched a robust campaign to curb illegal employment, arresting over 1,000 undocumented workers and targeting businesses that exploit such labor.

This aggressive enforcement emphasizes a commitment to safeguarding job opportunities for American citizens, with ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unveiling unprecedented actions to uphold immigration laws and prioritize the economic well-being of U.S. workers.

“This is the highest rate of arrest in HSI’s history,” HSI acting Executive Associate Director Robert Hammer explained.

“We’ve subpoenaed the business records of about 1,200 businesses, and as part of our review, we’ve proposed close to $1 million in fines.” Hammer emphasized that businesses exploiting illegal labor undermine American workers, stating, “Businesses that exploit and hire illegal workers are harming the American public.”

The agency’s heightened workplace enforcement over the past two months reflects a strategic focus on dismantling illegal labor networks, ensuring that jobs remain accessible to lawful U.S. residents.

Targeted Operations Disrupt Illegal Employment Networks

ICE’s recent operations demonstrate a zero-tolerance approach to businesses and organizations facilitating illegal employment, which directly competes with American labor. In a significant move, ICE filed a civil complaint on April 2 against a Chinese money laundering organization, seeking the seizure of 14 properties, seven bank accounts, and 15 vehicles.

“On April 2, we filed a civil complaint against a Chinese money laundering organization that orders the multimillion-dollar seizure of 14 properties, seven bank accounts and 15 vehicles,” ICE Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey said. The organization allegedly operated a staffing company supplying undocumented workers to an Ohio factory.

In Washington state, ICE apprehended 37 undocumented workers at a roofing company, where the individuals “fraudulently represented their immigration status and submitted fraudulent documents” to secure jobs.

Similarly, a raid in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley led to the arrest of eight undocumented workers and the bakery’s two owners, who knowingly employed individuals without legal status. These targeted actions aim to deter businesses from bypassing American workers in favor of cheaper, illegal labor.

E-Verify Mandate: A Game-Changer for American Job Security

Immigration experts advocate for a national E-Verify mandate as a critical tool to protect American jobs by preventing undocumented workers from accessing employment. Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, highlighted its potential impact: “It would make it much more difficult to get work. It would mean that a significant number of people would…opt not to come here illegally or even decide to go home.”

Ira Mehlman, Media Director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), echoed this sentiment, noting that employment opportunities drive illegal immigration.

“The vast majority of illegal aliens — especially the ones who arrived during the Biden administration — are economic migrants. Their strongest motivation for coming here was the ability to find a job and better wages,” he said.

“If employers were mandated to use E-Verify and the government demonstrated the resolve to hold employers accountable, that would go a long way toward drying up the supply of jobs for illegal aliens, thereby eliminating the biggest incentive to come or remain here illegally.”

With FAIR estimating 18.6 million undocumented individuals in the U.S., Krikorian emphasized the role of self-deportation in reducing this population: “There’s no question that a large part, and maybe most, of any reduction in the illegal population has to come through self deportation.”

Do you support ICE’s actions to crackdown on illegal immigration? Let us know what you think down in the comments!