Colorado Businesses Slapped with $8M Fine Over Employment Law Violations; Undocumented Workers Bear the Brunt

Three businesses in the Denver area are facing potential fines totaling $8 million due to allegations that they employed unauthorized migrants, which would violate employment laws.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent, Steve Cagen, stated Fox31 News The fines are intended to enforce the law and "foster a climate of adherence."

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"The use of employees who lack authorization undermines the integrity of our immigration system and places law-abiding employers at a disadvantage," he stated.

The agency announced The penalties publicly imposed on X.

Who received a fine and for what reason?

ICE stated that CCS Denver, Inc., which provides commercial cleaning and facilities maintenance services, deliberately hired and retained a minimum of 87 employees who were not authorized to work in the U.S. The company is facing the highest penalty: $6.19 million.

As reported by ICE, Denver’s PBC Commercial Cleaning Systems, Inc. showed "evidence of deliberately hiring at least 12 employees who were not authorized." The company was consequently penalized with a fine amounting to almost $1.6 million.

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Green Management Denver was fined $270,195 after ICE identified 44 unauthorized employees.

ICE said its enforcement actions follow workplace audits. John Fabbricatore, a former field office director for ICE. said such audits have been going on for decades.

"They conducted an I-9 audit and discovered several potential discrepancies with Social Security numbers as well as instances where there were no matches," Fabbricatore said to Fox31.

So, they proceeded with a civil infraction and penalized these firms for hiring individuals who were illegally residing in the U.S. and not permitted to work here.

Unauthorized workers face consequences.

Although businesses suffer financial repercussions due to these audits, undocumented workers also endure significant hardships at their jobs. Below is an explanation of how this usually affects them.

Wage theft

When employers intentionally employ workers without proper authorization, they often take advantage of their situation to evade labor regulations, which can lead to unpaid wages.

As stated in a report by the Economic Policy Institute, employees lose Over $15 billion annually is lost solely because ofminimum wage violations — a financial strain that unfairly impacts immigrant and undocumented workers.

Loss of benefits and employment insecurity

Unauthorized employees seldom receive worker perks such as medical coverage, compensated absence for illness, or joblessness safeguards.

Their unstable legal status frequently stops them from reporting labor violations such as hazardous working conditions, wage theft, or harassment.

For numerous individuals, this occurs because they fear repercussions such as retaliation or issues related to their immigration status, which could lead to deportation.

However, certain employees possess visas linked to a particular employer, which means those workers are bound to their designated employers. controls Their immigration status as well as their means of living.

Financial strain and tax implications

Although many undocumented workers pay taxes — frequently using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) — they do not qualify for numerous public benefits financed by these taxes.

They are additionally prone to experiencing financial pressure from inconsistent earnings, absence of structured work agreements, and susceptibility to abrupt unemployment when regulatory measures are implemented.

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The content of this article serves solely as information and must not be interpreted as professional advice. It comes with no guarantee or warranty whatsoever.