Preparing for ICE Raids

Last time around, Stan Marek was forced to fire men who’d been with him for more than 20 years. “They all had American-born kids. They all had houses. They had realized the American dream.”

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Here are today’s highlights:    

• What’s the better investment: stockpiling imports or diversifying supply chains?

• Gene Marks says forcing employees back into the office is a bad idea.

• Californians just voted against increasing the minimum wage.

• On the 21 Hats Sounding Board: Not sure how to use AI? Ask ChatGPT!

IMMIGRATION

Companies across the country are preparing for ICE raids: “One of the most difficult days of Stan Marek’s 55 years in construction came in 2012, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement audited his workforce. Some of the Social Security numbers Marek had on file didn’t pass muster, suggesting that the employees weren’t authorized to work. Marek was forced to fire men who’d been with him for more than 20 years. ‘They all had American-born kids. They all had houses,’ says Marek, chief executive officer of Houston-based Marek Brothers Co. ‘They had realized the American dream.’ Marek fears he and his workers will be forced to relive the experience if Donald Trump follows through with the hard-line immigration policy he promised, in no uncertain terms, during his campaign.”

• “Although Marek hires his own people and goes through all the legally required procedures, it’s possible some are using fake IDs, which are sold freely online and at flea markets. Other construction companies use subcontractors to insulate themselves from accountability, industry experts say. Marek’s workers slipped into that economy after the ICE audit.”

• “Chelsie Kramer, the Texas organizer for the nonprofit American Immigration Council, says companies in her state are striving to educate people about their options and the importance of acting quickly. Workers should apply for citizenship now if they can and renew work visas sooner rather than later, she says. ‘It’s a lot of just trying to mitigate harm.’”

• “Similar dynamics could be at work in agriculture, another industry that relies heavily on undocumented labor and could see widespread raids. The U.S. government offers special visas allowing agricultural workers to enter the country for harvest season and then head home, but those are costly and complicated to obtain, particularly for small farms.” READ MORE