ICE and DHS Are Aggressively Targeting Businesses That Hire Undocumented Workers

DALLAS, December 7, 2018 (Newswire.com) - ​​Oberheiden, P.C., a federal criminal defense law firm with a nationwide presence, has been actively monitoring the federal government’s crackdown on illegal immigration, specifically as it relates to prosecuting businesses that hire undocumented workers. While many of the raids and immigration sweeps conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have targeted businesses in California and Texas, small and family-owned businesses in other states are currently being targeted as well.

Newsweek recently quoted a special agent in charge of investigations in Texas and Oklahoma as stating:

Businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens create an unfair advantage over their competing businesses ... In addition, they take jobs away from U.S. citizens and legal residents, and they create an atmosphere poised for exploiting their illegal workforce ... You may have gotten away with it, but we're watching and we're coming.

special agent in charge of investigations in Texas and Oklahoma, in Newsweek, BY CHANTAL DA SILVA, 8/29/18

“Businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens create an unfair advantage over their competing businesses ... In addition, they take jobs away from U.S. citizens and legal residents, and they create an atmosphere poised for exploiting their illegal workforce ... You may have gotten away with it, but we’re watching and we’re coming.”

However, these situations are rarely as straightforward as federal authorities make them out to be. In border states like California and Texas as well as other states with large populations of both legal and illegal immigrants, companies can face extreme hardships in determining whether prospective workers are properly documented. Additionally, with states like California taking legal action against employers who cooperate in ICE and DHS immigration sweeps, employers can quickly find themselves in precarious legal circumstances.

For the businesses targeted in immigration enforcement investigations and sweeps and raids on the ground, seeking experienced legal representation needs to be a top priority. These circumstances can quickly go from bad to worse, and business owners and executives who are charged with federal immigration crimes can face insurmountable financial penalties and years or decades of imprisonment. Entire businesses can be lost to the effects of ICE and DHS enforcement activity – even in situations where the evidence ultimately proves that these agencies’ efforts were misguided.

When defending against allegations of federal immigration crimes – whether during an investigation, during a raid or immigration sweep, or in federal criminal litigation – business owners and executives must be extremely cautious to avoid mistakes that could jeopardize their interests. This includes avoiding mistakes such as speaking to special agents without legal representation as we well as taking proactive measures to assert a strategic defense. Oberheiden, P.C.’s federal defense lawyers have centuries of combined experience in high-stakes federal matters, and many of the firm’s attorneys handled these cases as prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) before entering private practice.

Business owners and executives who are concerned about federal immigration enforcement action or who are actively being pursued by ICE or DHS can contact Oberheiden, P.C.’s Dallas, Texas, headquarters for a free and confidential case assessment. The firm has lawyers in various states around the country and is capable of representing clients in ICE and DHS matters in Texas, California and nationwide.

Contact Oberheiden, P.C.

For more information, business owners and executives can call Oberheiden, P.C. at 214-469-9009 or email federal defense attorney Dr. Nick Oberheiden directly at Nick@Oberheiden-Law.com. More information about the firm can be found at www.criminaldefense.com.

The information contained in this statement does not constitute legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. This information may constitute attorney advertising in some jurisdictions. All website disclaimers apply.

CONTACT:

Nick Oberheiden
​Oberheiden, P.C.
5728 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy. #250
​Dallas, TX 75240
1-214-469-9009| Nick@Oberheiden-Law.com
​CriminalDefense.com

Source: Oberheiden, P.C.