Sixty former workers of Load Trail, a leading trailer manufacturing business, have filed a class-action suit against the business for failure to pay for the overtime work. » Read More
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased its enforcement actions related to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Occupational Practical Training (STEM OPT) Program. Specifically, ICE’s random site inspections at STEM OPT program sponsor sites, have become increasingly intrusive and investigatory in nature. » Read More
Last night, the Township Council of Old Bridge, New Jersey adopted legislation authorizing the township’s attorney to investigate and take legal action against New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration challenging the “Immigrant Rights Directive” that limits police cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and essentially deems New Jersey a sanctuary state. » Read More
In a massive worksite immigration operation early Wednesday, over 600 federal immigration agents converged on seven Mississippi food manufacturing and processing facilities to serve search warrants as part of an ongoing worksite criminal investigation.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized dozens of boxes of business records and arrested 680 individuals who were working unlawfully for the seven companies. » Read More
Apparently, in response to New Jersey’s sanctuary state policies, the Department of Homeland Security (the Department) has increased the number of worksite investigations and inspections. While the Department has not released inspection numbers since December of 2018, reports from those participating in immigration compliance, human resource departments, and other industry leaders indicate that New Jersey could see a nearly 1000% increase in the number of Notices of Form I-9 inspections from the 750% increase in the 2018 fiscal year. » Read More
Last week, the New Jersey Supreme Court updated the Statewide Judicial Policies to conform to New Jersey’s Immigrant Rights Directive. New Jersey Supreme Court Directive 04-79 stops court officials from collecting information about an individual’s immigration status unless it is absolutely necessary. » Read More
Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the end of a month-long operation across 14 New Jersey counties, which led to the arrest of 128 immigrants. The operation focused “on the arrest of individuals convicted of serious crimes and are a threat to public safety,” noted John Tsoukaris, Newark’s Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO) Field Office Director. » Read More
On Wednesday, nearly 300 people were arrested at a worksite raid in what Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has called the “biggest workplace immigration raid in a decade.” The raid at a Dallas-area receiving warehouse owned and operated by New Jersey based CVE Group Inc., a technology products company, was led by DHS’ Homeland Security Investigations (“HIS”) unit, with a team of over 200 federal agents. » Read More
On Friday, the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Directive went into effect—essentially ending any cooperation between the State and Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration enforcement matters. Announced in December of 2018 by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, the Immigrant Trust Directive effectively declared New Jersey a “sanctuary state.”
Effective last Friday, the directive prohibits state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, including police, prosecutors, county detectives, sheriff’s officers, and correction officers from doing the following:
Stop, question, arrest, search, or detain any individual based solely on actual or suspected immigration status;
Ask the immigration status of any individual, unless doing so is necessary to the ongoing investigation of a serious offense and relevant to the offense under investigation;
Participate in civil immigration enforcement operations conducted by ICE.
E-Verify expired as a result of the government shutdown. Employers will not have access to E-Verify to initiate new employee verifications, resolve non-confirmations, and verify employment authorization. » Read More
