According to enforcement statistics recently obtained by NT Lakis from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request we filed, the number of worksite immigration investigations conducted by ICE in fiscal year (FY) 2021 dropped dramatically, with only 627 investigations conducted as compared to 4,327 in FY 2020 and 7,734 in FY 2019, the last two years of the Trump Administration. Similarly, Form I-9 audits dropped to 230 in FY 2021 compared to 4,012 in FY 2020 and 6,608 in FY 2019.
ICE is the component agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that enforces the nation’s immigration laws, including conducting Form I-9 inspections and worksite investigations. The dramatic drop in worksite enforcement likely is the result of a variety of factors, not the least of which is a major shift in immigration enforcement policy by the Biden Administration as compared to the Trump Administration. For example, the prior Administration committed to quadrupling the number of immigration worksite investigations, whereas the Biden Administration has re-prioritized worksite enforcement strategy to focus on prosecuting employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers rather than conducting routine workplace compliance investigations.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.