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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Sunday, February 24, 2007
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Employers Face Higher Civil Fines for Immigration Violations
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), February 24, 2008 - Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey has announced higher civil fines against employers who violate federal immigration laws. The announcement was made in a joint briefing with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff about newly enacted border security reforms put in place by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
Under the new rule, which was approved by Attorney General Mukasey and Secretary Chertoff, civil fines will increase by as much as $5,000. The new rule will take effect on March 27, 2008, and will be published in the Federal Register early next week.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, employers who violate employment eligibility requirements are subject to civil monetary penalties. Employers may be fined under the Act for knowingly employing unauthorized aliens or for other violations, including failure to comply with the requirements relating to employment eligibility verification forms, wrongful discrimination against job applicants or employees on the basis of nationality or citizenship, and immigration-related document fraud. For each of these violations, the employer has the right to a hearing before an administrative law judge in the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
Under the new rule and applicable law, civil penalties for violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act are adjusted for inflation. Because these penalties were last adjusted in 1999, the average adjustment is approximately 25 percent. Under the specific rounding mechanism of the law, the minimum penalty for knowing employment of an unauthorized alien increases by $100, from $275 to $375. Some of the higher civil penalties are increased by $1,000; for example, the maximum penalty for a first violation increases from $2,200 to $3,200. The biggest increase under the rounding mechanism raises the maximum civil penalty for multiple violations from the current $11,000 to $16,000. These penalties are assessed on a per-alien basis; thus, if an employer knowingly employed, or continued to employ, five unauthorized aliens, that could result in five fines.
The Southwest Border Enforcement Initiative includes a $100 million request in new Justice Department funding for FY 2009 for new hiring and resources to better enable the United States to combat the flow of illegal immigration, drugs, and weapons across the Southwest Border, and to arrest, detain, prosecute, and incarcerate violent criminals, drug offenders, and immigration violators along the Southwest Border.
Hardee's Buying Naming Rights to the Summit Center
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), February 24, 2008 - As an extension of its commitment to St. Louis and its community and sports franchises, Hardee's has purchased the naming rights to the Summit Center ice arena in Chesterfield. The facility will be renamed the Hardee's Iceplex. Local civic officials, prominent members of the St. Louis hockey community and representatives from Hardee's and The Summit Center made the official announcement at a press conference, hosted at Hardee's Iceplex, on Tuesday, February 19.
Hardee's and Summit Center officials are in the process of working with the St. Louis Area Regional Abduction Alert (S.A.R.A.A.) program (a division of the statewide A.M.B.E.R. Alert program) to use the facility's soon-to-be-built outdoor LED sign to display S.A.R.A.A. alerts.
The new Hardee's Iceplex sign, which will be highly visible from a busy stretch of Highway 40 once it is completed, will be the first privately-funded S.A.R.A.A. sign in the area.
In a statement, Hardee's President and CEO, Andy Puzder said, "The partnership with the Summit Center is a natural fit as Hardee's has always been an avid supporter of local sports. We are also thrilled to partner with the S.A.R.A.A. Alert program to broadcast their important messages to the regional area."
The A.M.B.E.R. Alert Plan is a function of Emergency Alert System (EAS) in Missouri and is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement and radio and television broadcasters to alert the public through emergency broadcasts when a child has been abducted. The Plan is an effort to help local law-enforcement more quickly recover abducted children and apprehend the suspect. Under Governor Matt Blunt's leadership, the EAS has been upgraded and Missouri now has the equipment needed to transmit A.M.B.E.R. Alerts from EAS directly to broadcast news organizations within five minutes.
"I am committed to making Missouri as safe as possible for all citizens. The A.M.B.E.R. Alert network in particular has proven successful in saving lives, catching criminals and returning children safely to their families," said Missouri Governor Blunt. "I commend the concern and action of good corporate citizens like Hardee's who are joining our state and law enforcement officials to help ensure the safety of our children."
"Our facility is very excited about the extraordinary impact this new partnership can have on youth sports and tourism in St. Louis," stated Lloyd Ney, General Manager of The Summit Center. "With the immediate credibility that the Hardee's Iceplex name will bring our business, we will now have a unique advantage in bringing national events to our facility."
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