Alternate title “Something Which I Agree With Obama On”
The Obama administration launched investigations of hundreds of businesses around the country Wednesday as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on the employers who hire illegal workers.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun notifying businesses of plans to audit their I-9 forms — employment eligibility documents that employers fill out for every worker — the agency told members of Congress in an e-mail Wednesday.
Immigration officers served “Notices of Inspection” to 652 businesses, the Homeland Security Department said. By comparison, 503 such notices were issued to businesses last year, the agency said. Businesses were chosen for inspections based on leads and other investigative work, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.
While I certainly think that companies should still be raided that hire illegals (and the people in charge should be fined heavily along with dragging off illegals and immediately deporting them,) I also believe heavily that one of the ways to reduce illegal immigration is to go after the companies. If they won’t hire them, than there will be little need to raid companies and work sites. If the jobs aren’t available, a good chunk of illegals will leave, and others will not come, meaning law enforcement can focus more on the illegals who are bad people, as well as protecting American citizens, rather than being distracted.
I do disagree vehemently with Obama wanting amnesty – something which many elected Republicans wanted, too, in all fairness - but, I have to give him props for this program. Heck, I have heard Ann Coulter say many times that the path to stopping a large portion of illegal immigration is to go after the companies who hire them. I also have no problem with Obama looking for an expanded guest worker program. Said program must have much better oversight and monitoring of the guest workers, since approximately on third of all illegals are people who have overstayed their visas.
Anyhow, good job, President Obama. The article points out that you might have a cynical reason for doing this, but, keep doing it.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU
