Immigration raids send loud message across Delaware

A day after two Delaware convenience stores were marked for investigation by federal immigration agents, those on either side of the debate agree the message has been received.

Ninety-eight 7-Eleven stores across the country were told to prove their workers are legally employed, a move promoted by federal authorities as a warning to employers. The Texas-based convenience store chain was marked for follow up because of a previous immigration investigation, but the signal to business owners nationwide was clear: Your hiring practices could be scrutinized next.

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“Today’s actions send a strong message to U.S. businesses that hire and employ an illegal workforce: ICE will enforce the law, and if you are found to be breaking the law, you will be held accountable,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Thomas Homan said in a statement.

ICE agents were serving notices of inspections, also known as I-9 audit notices, which agency officials described as "a tool used by ICE to ensure that businesses are operating with employees who have proper work authorization."

The I-9 form was mandated for employers by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which requires employers to verify a hire's employment eligibility and to maintain the form for inspection. The I-9 audit notice requires managers give ICE that information.

The outcome of the audits could lead to criminal charges and fines, and ineligible workers must be fired.

That's how it's supposed to be, according to Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett.

"If they're here illegally, if you're here undocumented, you're not a citizen of this country. Therefore, they're not a citizen of Delaware. Let's not confuse compassion for a fellow human being with following the law," Arlett said.

A Republican and a President Trump booster, Arlett said rooting out those who live and work illegally in the United States shouldn't be the partisan issue it is. He blames Delaware Democrats for encouraging undocumented workers at the expense of those with citizenship.

ICE raids such as those at 7-Elevens this week, Arlett said, are common sense solutions to a real local problem.

"Ultimately, it's the Delaware families who are the winners," Arlett said

ICE would not clarify which Delaware stores received audit notification. 7-Eleven stores contacted Wednesday and Thursday by The News Journal either denied their stores were issued such notifications or referred questions to the company headquarters.

“7-Eleven Franchisees are independent business owners and are solely responsible for their employees including deciding who to hire and verifying their eligibility to work in the United States," said a 7-Eleven statement sent to the News Journal by email. "7-Eleven takes compliance with immigration laws seriously and has terminated the franchise agreements of franchisees convicted of violating these laws.”

The company, based in Texas, did not answer questions about Delaware stores. ICE would not say whether arrests were made in Delaware.

Ana Leon came to the United States when she was 9, and she's one of the so-called Dreamers, or those with the right to live and work in the United States thanks to the embattled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. She has a job she's not afraid to lose in a raid — a receptionist at the Latin American Community Center in Wilmington — but she can't say the same for some of her friends and family.

"With all these changes, they don't feel secure at all," Leon said. "Their future is very uncertain."

Word gets around the undocumented community when raids take place or immigration agents start sniffing around neighborhoods, Leon said. It's inspired a sense of dread that limits many of them from going anywhere but to work and back home again, she said.

"It affects the whole family if they lose their job," Leon said. "If they're living on one income, it's a total disaster."

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ICE agents arrested 21 people suspected of living in the country illegally during the nationwide operation. Officials said their actions are "targeted and lead-driven," but a representative from the ICE Philadelphia Field Office did not provide information on why individual stores will be audited.

“Businesses that hire illegal workers are a pull factor for illegal immigration and we are working hard to remove this magnet," Homan said in the statement. "ICE will continue its efforts to protect jobs for American workers by eliminating unfair competitive advantages for companies that exploit illegal immigration.”

ICE officials described the nationwide operation as a way to ensure 7-Eleven has taken steps to improve its hiring practices after a 2013 investigation that saw nine store managers arrested for fraud and harboring illegal aliens.

ICE officials said I-9 audit notices were served in the District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.

Contact Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@delawareonline.com or (302) 319-1855 or @duvINdelaware.