ICE Increases Sweep and Arrest Activity

Via The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
04/26/2006

Following on the heels of the employer raids last
week that made national headlines and resulted in the arrests of over
1,000 alleged undocumented workers, and the arrest and criminal
indictment of several corporate managers, further reports are reaching
AILA that ICE is conducting additional sweeps in communities in various
parts of the country. This is consistent with DHS’s announced intent to
beef up enforcement of immigration laws within the U.S. as part of the
Secure Border Initiative. It appears that there are two prongs to the
interior actions: investigations of employers and sweeps looking for
individual alien “absconders.”

Reports from New York and New Jersey indicate that sweeps and
arrests have taken place in Brentwood, Bay Shore, and Farmingville on
Long Island, and in Newark, Elizabeth, and Willowbrook, and at the
Garden State Plaza. The AP reported yesterday 183 arrests in Florida
last week related to enforcement of deportation orders involving aliens
convicted of crimes.

AILA is also hearing that ICE is conducting employer actions,
including multi-state raids on specific companies, with reports from
AILA members of employer clients being raided in New York, Ohio and
Illinois.

At a press conference Thursday, April 20, 2006, announcing that
week’s raids and arrests, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff announced a
crackdown on employers, saying: “We are looking at those people who
adopt as a business model the systematic violation of U.S. laws,”
Chertoff said. “We are continuing to investigate other companies.”

AILA will continue to monitor these events and update members as events unfold.
AILF has just compiled and posted an  Employer Sanctions and “Know Your Rights” resource list that provides links to important materials and information. In
addition, AILA and AILF are working on an updated advisory for
employers faced with workplace raids.