Construction, hospitality businesses in Utah report increased ICE inspections

SALT LAKE CITY — Surprise visits to Utah businesses are becoming more common, especially businesses in industries like like construction and hospitality.

According to immigration attorney Joshua Irvine, these types of visits are not new. But they are becoming more common, and for some business owners they are coming out of the blue.

Irvine said these visits often start with a very tense moment.

“The typical way that it happens is there’s usually a 72-hour site inspection notice that is usually hand-delivered by an armed officer from DHS or from ICE,” Irvine said. “They say ‘hey, we’re going to be on site to pick up documents in three days, and here’s the list of documents we need.’”

What ICE is demanding from businesses

In short, the business generally has three days to pull together every I-9 form and employee record they have. Even if everyone on their payroll is legally authorized to work, if there’s a missing signature or a small clerical mistake that can lead to huge fines.

It’s those types of errors, paperwork errors, that are most common. But the consequences can be severe. Irvine said he’s seen penalties reach into the six figures and impact not just business owners but employees and their families.

For example, Irvine said some workers panic and stop showing up, worried about what the inspection might mean. And that only adds to the strain on these companies.

“When a company that’s a small- to mid-sized company gets all of a sudden a $100,000 bill, that literally requires them to either lay people off,” Irvine said, “or some of them have had to close the door.”

The businesses in question are local builders, restaurant owners, hotel managers and others in the hospitality field. 

How businesses can prepare

Immigrations and Customs officials haven’t explained why these inspections are ramping up. Irvine believes certain industries are being targeted more heavily than others, like construction and hospitality, but says this type of enforcement has been building steadily for years under multiple administrations.

Irvine’s advice to businesses is simple: don’t wait until ICE shows up. He said business owners should make sure their employee records are accurate and up-to-date, as soon as possible. He says it’s not a matter of if ICE comes knocking — it’s when.

Simone Seikaly contributed.