Are You Ready for Operation Mega?

On the heels of the Trump Administration’s Tuesday, September 5th announcement that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will end, news leaked that US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) had plans to conduct a massive national immigration enforcement operation the latter half of September. Although ICE has since indicated that it will effectively suspend “Operation Mega” in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, there is concern that it may still be carried out on a smaller scale in other areas of the US not affected by the extreme weather events.

ICE has been known to conduct enforcement raids at places of employment. Therefore, we encourage employers to ensure they understand their civil and criminal rights and have a plan in place in the event such a raid occurs. Proactive employers that conduct regular audits of their I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification forms, provide timely training for those employees charged with administering onboarding, and maintain and apply a written immigration policy are best positioned to handle a surprise visit from federal immigration law enforcement.

Womble Carlyle’s Business Immigration Solutions practice group can help employers prepare.