American Apparel, the company that prides itself on creating (skimpy) U.S. made clothing, has been notified that 1,800 of its employees may be unauthorized to work in the United States. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency claims that it cannot determine the employment eligibility of 200 employees and does not think that 1,600 employees are eligible to work. American Apparel now must determine the eligibility of each of these employees. Additionally, the company could face monetary fines for employing unauthorized workers.
American Apparel is the latest of numerous companies that has found itself the focus of ICE’s Worksite Enforcement Initiative. The initiative, which focused on punishing unauthorized workers under the Bush Administration, is now focused on punishing the employers of unauthorized workers. With this new focus, employers must make sure that all of their “ducks are in order” concerning I-9 and Workplace Compliance.