(The Center Square) — The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office announced strict penalties for business owners who knowingly hire or continue to employ undocumented workers, urging everyone to follow federal immigration laws.
According to immigration reports by TRACImmagration, Louisiana was second in the country for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees this year with 7,027, right behind Texas, which had 12,203. ICE has nine detention centers in Louisiana.
There have been 325,149 new court cases just this year across the U.S. as of February. Courts processed over 374,000 cases during this time.
The U.S. is enforcing increased attention to businesses and their owners regarding undocumented workers as cases rise. To make laws more known, the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office sent a notice to all business owners outlining penalties for employing undocumented workers and their recommended steps to be taken.
“The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office encourages all local businesses to follow federal employment laws and to seek professional legal guidance if faced with concerns regarding undocumented workers,” said the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office in a news release.
Businesses that reportedly violate federal immigration employment laws could face civil fines, criminal penalties, and other consequences.
Civil fines include $627 to $5,016 for each undocumented employee, first offense. For each offense after, fines increase. A business can be fined for an amount of up to $25,076 per undocumented employee.
Criminal penalties include up to $3,000 per undocumented employee and up to six months jail time for businesses that exhibit a pattern of hiring undocumented employees or knowingly hiring.
Other consequences include the loss of business licenses, disqualification from government contracts and the possibility of U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor audits.
The Sheriff’s Office recommends reviewing all employee I-9 forms as well as I-9 eligibility verification forms.
