Listen up, employers: On August 1 — that’s two days
ago! — the Department of Homeland Security increased the Form
I-9 violation fines by approximately 96%.
Specifically, the range of fines for violations went from
$110-$1,100 per Form I-9 to $216 -$2,156 per Form I-9. This could
be particularly problematic for larger companies, as an untrained
staff person completing numerous I-9s incorrectly can lead to an
exorbitant amount in fines. On the other hand, smaller companies
have less in volume but sometimes they can commit more substantive
errors which can lead to fines on the higher-side of the range.
Both are bad results that your business should want to avoid.
A very recent I-9 violation case tells a sobering story. A
California-based organic food company was selected for an audit,
and due to its hiring of unauthorized workers, it ended up paying
$1.5 million in fines and having to institute a
compliance program. What made the fines so steep was that the
employer had
