With so much going on in the first two months of Trump's
second term (Trump 2.0), this is a good time to review what has and
has not happened in the world of worksite enforcement – ICE
I-9 audits, ICE raids, and administrative warrants.
Despite media reports, there have not been any formal ICE raids
of employer worksites. An ICE raid is where ICE agents and other
law enforcement arrive at a business unannounced with a criminal
search warrant signed by a federal judge. ICE is searching for
documents specified in the search warrant – I-9 forms,
payroll records, and similar records, and any employees who are
undocumented.
The raids that the media refers to are actually the serving of
administrative warrants by ICE seeking to detain/arrest specific
individuals plus any other individuals who cannot show their
immigration status (referred to as "collateral damage").
Additionally, some of the arrests have been through "Knock and
Talk"—a process where immigration
