If legislation introduced by the House of Representatives to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act passes, employers would face significantly higher fines for hiring illegal workers. The 10k Run for the Border Act (strange name, we know!) would increase the fines for knowingly hiring or recruiting undocumented workers (or continuing to employ illegal workers despite their undocumented status), as follows:
• $10,000-$80,000 per violation (currently $250-$2,000)
• $80,000-$200,000 per violation for employers with a prior violation (currently $2,000-$5,000)
• $120,000-$1.6 million for repeat offenders (currently a minimum penalty of $3,000 and maximum of $10,000)
In another component of the bill, state or local law enforcement officials who assist in the investigation or prosecution of employers would be entitled to 80 percent of the fines paid by those employers. It follows that this sort of incentive would increase enforcement.
Check back here for updates on the proposed bill. (It should be noted that prior versions of this bill have been introduced in the past six years, but didn’t advance.)
In the meantime, be certain that you’re up to date on the latest immigration laws, and properly verifying the eligibility of all employees, with our Forms I-9 and other practical tools.
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