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Immigration

Dairy protests ads allegedly aimed at Congressional candidate

04/09/2008
Joe Oberweis, president of Oberweis Dairy of North Aurora, has filed an injunction to stop the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from airing ads accusing the company of employing illegal immigrants. Oberweis believes the ads are aimed at his father, Jim Oberweis, the Republican congressional candidate …

Feds increase fines for immigration, I-9 violations

04/01/2008
Employers that run afoul of federal immigration laws face stiffer civil fines starting March 27. The increases average about 25% and are triggered by a mandatory inflation adjustment …

Hiring employees through visa programs? Make sure you consider both sexes

04/01/2008
Recruiting foreign workers who come to the United States via work visa programs requires carefully adhering to Title VII and other discrimination laws, just as if you were recruiting U.S. workers. Make sure you (or your representative) aren’t pushing foreign workers into different visa programs based on sex or some other protected characteristic …

Indiana House approves illegal immigration bill

04/01/2008
Employers that knowingly hire illegal immigrants could lose their licenses under a bill approved by the Indiana House of Representatives in February …

After a merger, must you draft new I-9s for all employees?

04/01/2008
Q. Our company is currently going through a merger. Are we required to complete a new I-9 employment eligibility form for each employee who worked for the other company, or are these employees “grandfathered” in? …

HR Groups Rally Around Legislation to Create New Electronic Verification System

03/04/2008

Congress is considering legislation that would create a new mandatory electronic employment eligibility verification system to replace the current, widely criticized E-Verify program. HR groups are applauding, in part because 90% of employers already use the software on which it is based. Learn more about a proposal that could greatly simplify a cumbersome process.

Undocumented workers jailed

03/01/2008
Three illegal immigrant workers arrested in a raid at Smithfield Foods’ Tar Heel packing plant have been sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by deportation. All three pleaded guilty to fraud and misuse of documents …

Justice Department increases fines for employers that violate immigration, I-9 rules

02/26/2008
Employers that run afoul of federal immigration laws will face stiffer civil fines—up to $5,000 more per violation—starting March 27, the U.S. Justice Department announced last week.

Illinois gives E-Verify a green light, for now

02/01/2008

Illinois has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, lifting the state Legislature’s ban on E-Verify that had been scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Employers may continue to use the federal electronic verification system to check workers’ employment eligibility status until lawmakers have had a chance to re-examine the issue …

When English-Speaking staff resent Spanish chatter

02/01/2008

Q. We have a collegial atmosphere in our small factory. But several of our production line workers who don’t speak Spanish are complaining that bilingual employees chat among themselves in Spanish, leaving the others out of the loop. Everyone speaks English when talking about work, so it’s not a safety issue. Still, the non-Spanish speakers resent the Spanish chatter and wonder if they’re being talked about. What can we do? — L.C, Illinois …