Immigration compliance has become increasingly more important for businesses under the current administration, which has implemented new work site enforcement measures to identify and penalize employers that knowingly hire illegal workers. In furtherance of the policies of this administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 652 employers on July 1, 2009. The notices informed employers that ICE will inspect their hiring records to determine compliance with employment eligibility verification laws. This was the largest operation of its kind. On November 19, 2009 – just over 4 months later – ICE issued NOIs to 1,000 employers across the country associated with critical infrastructure. This year, on March 2, 2010, ICE announced the issuance of 180 NOIs to businesses across five states. While ICE’s inspections target employers which have gained unfair advantages through an illegal workforce, an employer may be subject to hefty civil fines for unintentional paperwork violations. In addition to financial losses, civil fines can cause serious damage to the reputation of a business.

The Nemecek Firm offers immigration compliance services to assist U.S. employers in eliminating unnecessary risks in today’s enforcement-focused immigration climate. Working in tandem with human resource professionals, executive and managerial teams and supervisory staff, the firm helps companies to develop and implement best practices to achieve the highest level of compliance. The firm’s compliance-related services include: I-9 and E-Verify training; internal audits; policy drafting; representation before immigration authorities in enforcement actions; and, regular legal advice on an on-going basis as needed.