As ICE Raids Intensify, How Do Employers Know if Their Workers Are Legal?
- Federal immigration authorities stepped up enforcement actions in California workplaces during June 2025, including an unexpected raid at a San Diego dining establishment located in the South Park area.
- These raids follow longstanding legal requirements since 1986 for employers and employees to verify work authorization via I-9 forms amid growing enforcement pressures and recent penalties for hiring undocumented workers.
- Local Latino-owned small businesses and swap meet vendors report significant declines in attendance and sales due to fears of immigration enforcement, with some vendors paying rising fees despite fewer customers.
- Experts highlight the economic reliance on immigrant labor, noting even wage increases do not attract sufficient U.S. workers, while employment attorneys advise uniform I-9 compliance to avoid discrimination and legal risks.
- The enforcement actions and uncertain immigration status create anxiety among workers and employers alike, suggesting ongoing challenges in balancing labor needs with immigration law compliance.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Hillcrest bar hosts lawyers to guide businesses on ICE raid preparedness
Lawyers answer questions from local Hillcrest business owners/Courtesy of Kristen Nevins Local business owners gathered at Number One Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest this week in order to learn from lawyers on how to safeguard their community against potential raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Americans Against Fascism founder Vinny Belmont outside Number One Bar in Hillcrest (Photo courtesy Kristen Nevins ) Hosted by advocacy group Ameri…
Undocumented Workers in the Hamptons Are Self-Deporting
Employers in the Hamptons who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants have always faced the risk of penalty. But amid fears of ICE raids and audits, some have been quietly forced out of the jobs that brought them here.

As ICE raids intensify, how do employers know if their workers are legal?
As raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers continue to intensify at workplaces across California, often exploding into confrontations between agents and the public, it’s a pressing question facing most employers, now more than ever.
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