Immigration officers used an I-9 audit to arrest 20 individuals this week within the Houston space.
The Immigration Reform and Management Act of 1986 requires employers to confirm the id and work eligibility of all people they rent. In line with the Migration Coverage Institute, this act was the primary main try by Congress to handle unlawful immigration.
In line with an ICE spokesperson for the Houston area, I-9 inspections promote compliance with the legislation. The spokesperson mentioned 20 individuals have been arrested throughout an I-9 audit at Texas Couplings LLC, a warehouse in Spring. They mentioned all twenty individuals didn’t have authorized standing and have been taken to the Montgomery County Processing Middle.
A member of the family who spoke anonymously to Fox 26 mentioned their father was arrested after working at Texas Couplings for 14 years. They mentioned the household has lived within the U.S. for 30 years.
Avalyn Langemeier is a Houston-based immigration lawyer at Foster LLP. She mentioned discrepancies in an I-9 type might come from a distinction in numbers or names.
“If you happen to’re utilizing your mom’s maiden identify and simply relying on how completely different cultures current it or even when there was a wedding and possibly somebody modified their identify as a consequence of marriage, the paperwork that have been offered for the I-9 won’t match the names displaying on payroll as a result of they received married after the I-9 was accomplished,” Langemeier mentioned.
An immigrant advocacy group mentioned about 15 companies additionally acquired I-9 varieties throughout an elevated presence of immigration enforcement at Colony Ridge, a residential neighborhood Northeast of Houston. A social media put up from ICE mentioned 118 individuals have been arrested in Colony Ridge, however particulars have solely been launched for 9 people, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Two years in the past, the event was focused by conservative leaders who mentioned the world had suffered from crimes of cartels and other people with out authorized standing. The Texas Tribune reported federal authorities sued the neighborhood developer in the identical yr for allegedly concentrating on Latino homebuyers with predatory loans.
Cesar Espinosa is the Government Director of FIEL Houston and has been fielding calls from individuals throughout the Higher Houston area to substantiate focused arrests from ICE and potential raids.
“ICE truly went into companies and hand-delivered I-9 verification letters,” he mentioned concerning Colony Ridge.
Espinosa mentioned each cases are an indication of a distinct technique for immigration enforcement.
“We count on for these items to proceed,” he mentioned. “Earlier within the yr, we have been simply seeing focused operations. But it surely wouldn’t essentially, completely shock us if there was extra of those raid-style sort of occasions.”
