DHS Increases Fines for I-9 Violations and Re-Issues No-Match Regulations

The federal government has continued its push to increase enforcement of workplace immigration laws. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Supplemental Proposed Rulemaking on March 24 in an effort to address potential procedural defects in its No-Match regulation. While the No-Match rule is not yet in effect, DHS demonstrated its resolve to see that the rule is implemented and thereby effectively require employers to follow a specific protocol to resolve Social Security mismatches or face potential liability for “knowingly” employing unauthorized aliens. The amount of potential employer liability increased as the Department of Justice raised fines for this and other I-9 violations by an average of 25% in a new rule that took effect on March 27. Read more about the status of the No-Match regulation in the March 24 Immigration eAuthority.

Note: This article was published in the May 2008 issue of the Immigration eAuthority.