Biden announces end of worksite immigration raids

The Biden administration has announced the end of worksite immigration raids, but that doesn’t mean employers are off the hook. If anything, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is shifting its focus from undocumented workers to out-of-compliance employers.

ICE will need to ring the doorbell next time

In early October, the Biden administration announced the end of worksite immigration raids that started under the Trump administration. The raids usually stemmed from a “tip” where someone would alert the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of unauthorized workers at a certain location. ICE would then show up at the specified place of employment, unannounced, and seize workers on the spot.

One of the most notable cases took place in August 2019 when ICE raided seven Mississippi food processing plants and arrested hundreds of undocumented workers. It was the largest raid in a decade. Following the raids, one little girl made national headlines as she sobbed in a video, crying for her parents, while being temporarily sheltered in a community gym.

Inspections are not going anywhere

Although mass raids are set to end, employers aren’t off the hook. The announcement made it clear that rather than focusing on workers, DHS will shift its focus to employers and whether they are complying with immigration and labor laws.