The Trump administration is planning for an increase in worksite immigration enforcement operations, with multiple federal agencies involved in determining how to boost the number of arrests and placate the president’s base, according to five sources familiar with the discussions. Administration officials say that criminal investigations have been ongoing and that any additional enforcement measures would stem from those probes.

Background

A Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN there has been an “increase in criminal investigations targeting fraud.” The internal effort comes as the administration has tried to balance carrying out a historic number of deportations without agitating key industries — from manufacturing to construction to agriculture — or unsettling a fragile economy.

Immigration hardliners argue worksite enforcement is necessary to achieve the president’s broader immigration agenda. “The reality is worksite enforcement isn’t happening and without that the numbers won’t hit the needed levels,” an administration official told CNN, referring to the state of play.

Part of that plan, so far, involves educating employers on hiring responsibilities, as well as conducting immigration arrests at worksites involved in illegal immigrant activity, one of the sources said. Sources cautioned that plans are still fluid and can change.

Enforcement Efforts

ICE Homeland Security Investigations will generally serve notice of intent to audit a company’s immigration paperwork; perform that audit; and, if issues arise, kick off a criminal investigation. “They’re hard because it’s mountains of paperwork and it requires a lot of analysis and due diligence to put it together to prove culpability,” a former DHS official told CNN, referring to worksite operations.

The worksite push comes as the administration is also increasing its overall arrest effort. In recent days, ICE has stepped up immigration arrests, taking around 2,000 people into custody daily on average, up from previous months— a target that officials want to sustain.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.