Migrant Employees Stop Coming to Work

So far, there have been no big ICE raids but fear among immigrants is spreading.

Good Morning!

Here are today’s highlights:

• Employees with unlimited PTO take an average of 16 vacation days a year.

• Ami Kassar says the horror stories you’ve heard about long, difficult SBA loan applications may not be the SBA’s fault.

• A cash-advance provider accused of predatory lending to small businesses has agreed to settle.

• There are big changes coming to the way small businesses are found on Google.

IMMIGRATION

Here’s what Trump has done so far: “Since President Trump took office on Monday, he has issued a flurry of directives to expedite the removal of millions of undocumented immigrants from the U.S. Immigrant groups are bracing for large raids, with community leaders hosting frantic know-your-rights sessions and employers reporting that many immigrants are too fearful to come to work. The Department of Homeland Security adopted new guidelines allowing the government to deport immigrants who entered the country illegally as long as two years ago using a fast-track process that denies them a chance to plead their case before an immigration court.”

• “The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the administration planned to conduct a major operation in Chicago this week, but officials held back on those plans after they became public. Immigration officers across the U.S. were still awaiting updated guidance from headquarters, according to people familiar with the matter.”

• “ICE carried out targeted enforcement operations around the U.S. on Tuesday, but those operations were small in scope. Teams of five or six agents were giving priority to immigrants who were in the country illegally and had been convicted of or charged with a serious crime, typical of operations that have occurred under the past few presidents.”

• “Some businesses are reporting that migrant employees are too fearful to come to work. Jacob M. Monty, an immigration and employment lawyer in Texas, says he has been advising businesses to conduct ‘mock audits’ of their workers’ I-9 forms, and to not delay addressing any problems or errors they find. Employers are required to complete the form after verifying an employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the U.S. by checking his or her original documents.”

• “At the same time, Monty is warning employers not to seek out too much about their workers’ backgrounds, to avoid potential liabilities for information that is different from what appears on the I-9. ‘Any discussion with employees is fraught with danger. I’ve seen many employers attempt to take a compassionate approach with workers but end up having to terminate them.’” READ MORE