Immigration agents made a series of raids on the 7-Eleven network

Photo: twitter / @ ICEgov

Immigration agents raided several stores 7-Eleven. They interviewed employees and also conducted an audit of documents upon admission to work.

The agents are aiming to audit hiring at 100 stores across the country, opening up a new front of immigration control by the Trump administration.

For example, in Los Angeles, 7 agents arrived on three unmarked cars to the store. 7-Eleven , shut it down at 20 minutes. At that time, one employee worked in the store who had a green card. Agents wearing blue jackets labeled ICE told customers that the store was briefly closed for federal inspection. The owner, who was on the telephone at that time, ordered his subordinate to prepare the requested documents.

The operation was the result of the 2013 investigation of the year. Then 9 franchisors and managers 7-Eleven in New York and Virginia, 25 stolen IDs were used to hire illegal workers for 115 and pay them less than the minimum wage. Eight people pleaded guilty and must pay more than $ 2,6 million in salary, while the ninth person was arrested in November 2017.

7-Eleven Stores Inc.located in Irving, Texas, with more than 8600 stores in the United States, has not yet commented on the situation with the recent audit.

Derek Benner, a senior US immigration and customs officer, said The Associated Pressthat Wednesday’s raids were "the first of many" and are a "forerunner of what should happen." He added that agents will conduct more inspections and research in the field of employment, although he did not provide exact figures.

“Large-scale checks have just begun. We will consider whether these cases merit civil penalties or criminal investigation,” Benner said. “We won’t limit ourselves to company size or any specific industry.”

Illegal hiring is rarely prosecuted, in part because the investigation takes a lot of time and the charges are difficult to prove because employers can claim to have been deceived by submitting fake documents to intermediaries. Sometimes the size of administrative fines can be equated to the value of the entire business.

The most aggressive policy against employers who illegally hire workers was conducted by the George W. Bush administration. In 2008, agents arrived by helicopter at a meat factory Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, and detained around 400 workers.

The Obama administration doubled the number of employer checks, increasing them to 3100, and also significantly increased the size of fines.

The Trump administration is pursuing "its own unique strategy," emphasizing the fight against illegal immigration. During the operation, agents arrest illegal immigrants, but the main goal for them is employers who hire people who illegally entered the country.

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