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My colleagues at Mdivani Corporate Immigration Law firm, including business immigration lawyers Leyla McMullen and Mason Ellis, and I landed in San Francisco yesterday prepared to dive right into the amazing continuing legal education programs provided at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) 2018 Annual Conference. In just a few hours, we tapped into some great topics, including the most interesting session in my view: " Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: The Trump Administration's Impact on Immigration Policy."
The American Immigration Council presented an overview of what has happened since President Trump took office and brought some very striking facts. The speakers reported that the current administration has apprehended 30% more individuals in the last year than any year prior. We learned that the long-standing tradition of allowing families to stay together while navigating the immigration system is no longer. We heard stories about border agents literally tearing children away from their parents, with one mother having her child taken from her while she was breastfeeding.
It is very clear that this immigration enforcement system is not holding back. Speakers from the American Immigration Council stated that President Trump's worksite enforcement directive is being executed to the fullest extent possible. They reported ICE agents are conducting raids and I-9 audits against U.S. employers at an unprecedented rate. ICE is scheduled to increase I-9 audits more than 300% in 2018 from 1,400 audits in all of 2017 to 2300 by the 1st quarter of 2018.
U.S. employers should be prepared for an ICE audit by receiving training and developing a written corporate immigration compliance plan, policies, and procedures.
Business Immigration Attorney
