Immigration enforcement is here to stay. The Bush Administration
was successful in dramatically increasing the number of law
enforcement personnel devoted to immigration enforcement. The
statistics demonstrate that the Department of Homeland
Security's (DHS) enforcement strategy is generating positive
results. Arrests of immigration violators are up, as are criminal
investigations and indictments.
Regardless of the presidential election outcome, the new
Administration cannot be viewed as "soft" on immigration
enforcement. The Executive Branch must be seen to be vigorously
enforcing immigration law at the border and in the interior if
Congress is to consider meaningful immigration reform in the
future. As a result, employers can expect to be the target of
continuing enforcement efforts, and the DHS will continue to use
all enforcement tools at its disposal. Further, the current state
of the economy will likely lead to protectionist measures toward
U.S. workers. What
