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Skriven 2006-06-19 23:34:22 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060619d) for Mon, 2006 Jun 19
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Just the Facts: The Bush Administration's Strong Worksite Enforcement
Efforts
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 19, 2006

Just the Facts: The Bush Administration's Strong Worksite Enforcement
Efforts



FACT: ICE Has Adopted A Much More Aggressive Approach Toward Cracking Down
On Employers Who Knowingly Hire Illegal Aliens. ÿImmigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE)has replaced the old system of administrative hearings and
fines with a much tougher combination of criminal prosecutions and asset
forfeitures.ÿICE is conducting far more criminal investigations than the
former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), which tended to rely
on administrative fines as a sanction.ÿ

FACT: Arrests For Criminal Violations Brought In Worksite Enforcement
Actions  The Most Effective Means Of Enforcement And Best Measure Of ICE's
New Approach  Have Increased Significantly.ÿThese criminal arrests have
increased from 24 in FY99 to 160 in FY04 to 176 in FY05 and to a record 382
so far this fiscal year. ÿThe number of indictments and criminal
convictions has also increased.
  þ 

    In April, ICE Carried Out The Largest Single Worksite Enforcement
    Action Ever Taken Against An Employer.ÿ Seven current and former
    managers of IFCO Systems North America were charged with harboring
    aliens and document fraud, and 1,187 unlawfully employed illegal aliens
    were arrested.
  þ 

    From October 2005 Through March 2006, ICE Arrested More Than 2,100
    Unlawfully Employed Illegal Aliens As A Result Of Worksite Enforcement
    Investigations.ÿICE also seized millions of dollars in cash and assets
    from employers.ÿ
  þ 

    Last Year, Federal Agents Completed Operation Rollback, Which Resulted
    In The Largest Worksite Enforcement Penalty In U.S. History. ÿOperation
    Rollback also resulted in the arrest of hundreds of illegal immigrants
    and criminal convictions against a dozen employers.ÿ The $15 million
    settlement and forfeiture resulting from Operation Rollback is greater
    than the combined sum of all administrative fines from the previous
    eight years.ÿ

FACT: Funding For Immigration Enforcement Inside Our Country Has Increased
By 42 Percent Since The President Took Office.ÿ
  þ 

    Last Year, The President Signed A Bill Doubling Federal Resources For
    Worksite Enforcement.ÿThe Administration's FY07 budget request seeks
    $41.7 million in new funds and 171 additional agents to enhance ICE's
    worksite enforcement efforts.ÿ

FACT: The Basic Pilot Program Is Helping Businesses Comply With The Law.ÿ
Basic Pilot is a voluntary, online verification system that allows
employers to confirm the eligibility of new hires by checking the
information they provide against Federal databases.ÿ
  þ 

    When President Bush Took Office, Basic Pilot Was Available In Only Six
    States, And Today It Is Available Nationwide.ÿThe President's FY 2007
    budget requests $111 million to expand Basic Pilot.
  þ 

    President Bush Has Called On Congress To Make Basic Pilot Mandatory And
    Provide Homeland Security With The Funding And Authority To Make Sure
    It Is An Effective Tool To Prevent The Hiring of Illegal Workers.ÿ
    Basic Pilot is still optional, and most employers do not participate.ÿ
    Both the House and Senate immigration bills would require employers to
    use Basic Pilot.

FACT: DHS Recently Proposed Its "No-Match" Regulation To Make It Easier For
Employers To Verify Employment Eligibility And Help The Government Identify
And Crack Down On Those Employers Who Knowingly Hire Illegal Workers In
Violation Of The Law. ÿMillions of Social Security numbers provided by
employers do not match the information in the Social Security
Administration's (SSA) databases.ÿ In cases where an employer has ten or
more employees with inaccurate information, the SSA sends the employer a
"no-match" letter.ÿ DHS's proposed "no-match" regulation sets forth an
employer's current obligations under the immigration laws when an employer
receives a no-match letter and makes clear that employers who ignore the
discrepancies between SSA databases and the information provided by their
employees may be viewed under the law as knowing that the employees are
illegal workers, making it easier for ICE to prosecute violators.

FACT: To Help Combat Document Fraud, President Bush Has Proposed The
Creation Of A New Identification Card For Every Legal Foreign Worker.ÿ This
card would use biometric technology, such as digital fingerprints, to help
make it tamper-proof.ÿ With a tamper-proof card, American employers would
know that a foreign job applicant is who he says he is  and is in our
country legally and is seeking to find work in accordance with the law.ÿ
  þ 

    The Administration Has Launched Law Enforcement Task Forces In 11 Major
    Cities To Dismantle Criminal Rings That Produce Fake Documents.ÿ

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