U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Worksite Enforcement Administrative Inspection Process

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is responsible for an effective worksite enforcement strategy to protect critical infrastructure, target employers who violate employment laws, and protect employment opportunities for the Nation’s lawful workforce. In 2009, ICE revised its worksite enforcement strategy to prioritize identifying employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, arresting and removing illegal workers, and using all available civil and administrative tools to penalize and deter illegal employment. From fiscal years 2009 through 2012, Congress allocated about $531 million to fund and implement ICE’s worksite enforcement strategy. Over that same period, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations directorate conducted about 9,140 administrative inspections and issued about $31.2 million in civil fines to employers. The audit objective was to determine whether ICE is meeting the requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 through the administrative inspection process for its worksite enforcement strategy.