Obama admin sends audit letters to possible illegal alien employers; Bush-style prelude to "reform"

Remember how George W Bush "got tough" on illegal immigration in an attempt to push through comprehensive immigration reform? Welcome to the Obama administration's version (link, from Jeanne Meserve of CNN):

In a signal that the Obama administration is changing tactics in dealing with illegal immigration, hundreds of businesses were notified Wednesday that federal authorities will be taking a closer look at their employment records to determine if they are hiring illegal aliens.

Kelly Nantel, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said businesses in every state and industry are being audited, "from agriculture-related businesses, to service businesses, to high-tech industry and everything in between." The companies were selected based on leads from ICE offices around the country.

On Wednesday, 652 audit notices were issued. By comparison, only 503 such notices were issued in all of fiscal year 2008, according to an agency statement.

The goal for this is obvious and, while it's certainly welcome, no one should be fooled into complacency. Even CNN references the Bush administration in their article, although they don't mention why he did something similar. Meserve did ask about the status of immigration raids, with Nantel saying they hadn't been put on hold but unable to provide any current statistics.

Thu, 07/02/2009 - 06:14 · · Importance: 4