Immigration not just a US Problem

As an HR company, we discuss and inform about issues of immigration and laws pertaining to it on a regular basis, but we must remember that immigration has never been uniquely American. As a global traveler, I have witnessed first hand the extreme effects that immigration has on European residents. When I was living in Spain, a woman was beaten on the metro for even being a legal immigrant for not appearing Spanish enough. Nationalism among residents intensified as riots and protests swarmed all over my neighborhood, and the law makers struggled with the details of the attack.

An article was just released last week by the Associated Press about the immigration issues occurring all over Europe. Last Wednesday, legislators in the EU parliament passed new laws to toughen up on expelling illegals from Europe. The article goes into explaining that because of a slowing global economy, the richer countries in the EU are facing pressures globally to become stricter on immigration which includes increasing detention periods for illegals. The majority of these immigrants are coming from parts of Africa and former Soviet countries. It has been estimated that in 2006 twenty four thousand sub-Saharan Africans tried to reach Spain, many of them dying a long the way. In the US there are currently 11 million illegals as opposed to Europe which has about 8 million in their 27 nations. Countries such as Italy, France, and Spain are all open to raising their laws to try and cope with the problem including increased detention times and denial of future re-entry.

It is important to know that other nations are dealing with this issue and I don’t believe that there are any easy answers for either nation’s destiny. Staying educated is just one sure way that we can become part of this movement. Please visit our site for up to date information on immigration compliance in the United States at and to read further on this article.

Posted June 27th, 2008 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Human Resources, Immigration | | 0 Comments

Get Familiar with the New Sanctions Law

I'm sure there are still a few more appeals, but the Arizona Employer's Sanctions Law is a go.  Get fimiliar with the rules and regulations.

House Bill 2779 (Fair and Legal Employment Act)

Prohibit employers from knowingly or intentionally hiring undocumented workers. - Starting Jan. 1, would require all employers to run their employees through the Basic Pilot Program to determine their legal status. Use of the program would act as a sort of immunity for employers facing prosecution under the law.

1st offense: Businesses caught "knowingly" employing an undocumented worker would lose their license for up to 10 days. Those caught "intentionally" hiring an undocumented worker would lose their license for at least 10 days.

2nd offense (while on probation): Permanent revocation of the business license.

The big question remains on how will the law be enforced? - Investigations would be conducted based on complaints against employers.

If the complaint was shown to be valid, the investigator would be required to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local law enforcement.

From the state's 2007-08 General Fund, the bill would provide $100,000 to the Arizona Attorney General's Office, and $2.4 million to be distributed to county prosecutors.

Posted February 8th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Immigration, Recruiting | | 0 Comments

Sanctions Law Clearing Out Illegals in Arizona

If apartments are starting to sit vacant, this must mean that the new Arizona Immigration Sanctions Law is starting to take its toll on the illegal immigrants here in Arizona.  What will this mean for your company?   

“The sanctions law is pushing immigrants to leave the state. The law is aimed at clamping down on illegal immigration in Arizona, which has the highest share of illegal immigrants of any state, by threatening to yank the business licenses of employers caught knowingly employing such workers.

As a result, many immigrants are leaving, either to other states where they think it will be easier to get jobs, or back to Mexico, where the majority of illegal immigrants in Arizona are from.” 

So far, the law has done what it was intended to do.  How has this law affected your company?  Businesses that catered to the illegal population have seen drastic sales hits, apartments have seen a large wave of vacancies, what will be next?

Posted January 31st, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Immigration, Other, Recruiting | | 0 Comments

Pulled over for going 77 mph….are you a legal citizen?

I have heard the rumor.  Maybe you have heard it too.  The rumor is: Police Officers are now able to ask for proof of citizenship from anyone they pull over. 

Are our public safety officers expected to become immigration officials?  If this is true, how will the state handle complaints that only those with darker complexions are being asked their status?  Is this really happening?  If not now, will it?  Some are saying that this new practice is already in effect.  I tried to find some additional information to back this rumor up.  All I could find were various articles stating something similar to this:

PHOENIX — Police in suburban Scottsdale have begun routinely asking for proof of citizenship from every suspect they arrest and turning those who are in this country illegally over to federal immigration officials. The procedure was started Oct. 15, a result of the September killing of Phoenix police officer Nick Erfle by an illegal immigrant, Erik Jovani Martinez. Scottsdale police had arrested Martinez on a misdemeanor charge 16 months earlier but they released him then because they didn’t know he was an illegal immigrant who had been twice deported. Erfle’s killing “caused us to look at what were asking suspects,” Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said. “If we arrest someone and then find that we called ICE (Customs and Immigration Enforcement) and they put a hold on them, then we know they have been deported and are back again.”

Reading this, it makes sense that an individual who has been "arrested" be properly identified.  But is it going to far to pull people over and ask them their immigration status?

Posted January 14th, 2008 by Camille - Posted in Customer Service, Human Resources, Immigration, Other | | 1 Comments

HB 2779….EFFECTIVE NOW!!

First day back at the office in 2008….and we have a new added (required) task we have to follow for all new hires….verify their eligibility to work utilizing the Federal E-Verify program.  Have you registered??

There were concerns that the system will be "bogged" down with all of the last minute registrations.  We registered on Friday, Dec. 28th and had NO problems completing the application and passing the tutorial.  That, I think, is the easy part.  The hard part is going to be working with our clients to have this process run as smoothly as possible. 

Posted January 2nd, 2008 by Camille - Posted in Immigration | | 2 Comments

AZ Minimum Wage Change January 1

Minimum wage in Arizona is changing just like the year is.   It’s going up to $6.90 per hour effective tomorrow.  Minimum wage will also be adjusted based on the cost of living yearly.    Is it really a good thing to pay a higher minimum wage?  What kind of message is it sending, is what I want to know? 

 Is this a move made to encourage legal workers to step into these low-end positions as illegal immigrants are being weeded out of Arizona business?   Just a thought.  

Posted December 31st, 2007 by admin - Posted in Benefits, Human Resources, Immigration | | 0 Comments

How Does the Employer Sanctions Law Involve You

Q: If you are licenced in another state but hire in AZ how does the employer sanctions law affect you?

A: It is unclear how they will enforce this part of the law. However, as it reads right now, the new sanctions law requires an employer to use E-verify program, which is a federally run program. The E-verify program requires an employer to use this system for ALL employees if it uses it for one. So, the translation is that an employer would have to run all of his/her employees through the E-verify program. Having said that, there are some murmurings from attorneys and those who wrote the law that this was not the intent of the AZ sanctions law, and that the federal government will not require strict adherence to this part of their program for AZ companies. This is only a rumor at this point. Check with your employment attorney for direction on how you should proceed for your business and industry.

Posted December 27th, 2007 by admin - Posted in Immigration | | 0 Comments

Judge Won’t Wait for Ruling to Start Enforcing

“A federal judge said Thursday he may let the state’s new employer sanctions law take effect while he debates its legality.“  This is a piece from an article I found on the East Valley Tribune website.   

You can throw out all the advice that the lawyers are giving out to business owners, which is to wait for a ruling on the case.  If they are going to enforce the law regardless of what lawsuits are coming forward against it, I wasn’t that far off with a prior post about the rush for businesses to enroll in the E-Verify program.  All businesses that want to comply and be safe from the harsh penalties of the new employer’s sanctions law will now be signing up in record numbers.   

Have you signed up yet?

Posted December 14th, 2007 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Immigration | | 0 Comments

Is someone working in your house your responsibility?

I recently had a question regarding… Well, instead of me telling you- here it is:

"I employ a cleaning lady and write a check to her cleaning business. As a private home owner am I required to verify immigration status?"

So what is the answer: Check with your attorney for legal advice

What I "think" about this (this is just my opinion based on my research)

You hire a company to do a job.  You are the customer and NOT the employer and the new immigration law applies to employment practices.  So, don't worry about it…

Am I wrong to think this way? Am I a part of the problem?  If so, do I have the right to inquire about the status of a vendor's employees?

Posted December 6th, 2007 by Harry Glazer - Posted in Human Resources, Immigration | | 0 Comments

It’s the Running of the Bulls, in a Sense

Here comes the rush for all the Arizona businesses to get in compliance with the new immigration law.  Many owners around the valley have been in a stall waiting to see if this new employer-sanctions law will hold up to the legal challenge. 

Azcental.com gives this summary of the new law, “Under Arizona's new employer-sanctions law, all employers must begin using E-Verify by Jan. 1 to check the employment eligibility of new hires or risk having their business licenses suspended or revoked if caught knowingly hiring illegal workers.”   

Let’s let the numbers speak for themselves, “as of Nov. 21, only 4,733 of the more than 150,000 employers in Arizona had signed up for the program. Currently, only about 32,000 employers are using the program nationwide.” 

Many lawyers are advising their clients to wait until the last two weeks to sign up for the E-Verify program for two different reasons.  One reason for the wait is to see if the law holds up to the court challenges or if it gets delayed.  The second is to “test the system's capacity and cast doubt on its effectiveness at a time when some lawmakers in Congress are pushing to expand E-Verify to all states.”

Posted November 27th, 2007 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Immigration, Recruiting | | 2 Comments