IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AT SANTA FE BUSINESSES THWARTS COVID-19 RESPONSE

Workplace Actions Triggering Confusion, Layoffs and Fear of Seeking Health Care

March 19, 2020

SANTA FE--Amid a national public health crisis, Mayor Alan Webber and local immigrant advocates have joined together to decry continued enforcement activities by U.S. Immigration and Enforcement agents within the city. While federal officials stated on Wednesday night that some immigration arrests will stop during the COVID-19 crisis, it is unclear whether all enforcement activities will halt.

Last week, U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents visited at least six locally owned restaurants to initiate I-9 document inspections, causing confusion and panic among business owners, workers and families. Through I-9 audits, ICE obligates employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of their workers. The I-9 audit process can take up to 30 days.

I-9 audits often result in workplace disruption, in swift termination of long-time employees, and in information about individual workers being used in subsequent ICE enforcement activities and arrests.

"We call on federal immigration officials to halt these audits. Immigrants living in Santa Fe, like so many others in our community, are already feeling tremendous anxiety about their personal health and loss of income as result of COVID-19. Now they are threatened with the possibility of being deported and separated from their families by ICE," said Mayor Webber. "This only makes an uncertain and precarious situation worse, and it needs to stop immediately. This is a time for compassion, for humanity, and for our values to prevail, not ICE enforcement. Everyone in our community needs access to our health care and emergency services without the fear that ICE is injecting into our community."

"The federal government continuing its attacks against immigrant workers and families during this public health crisis is unconscionable. Families are already experiencing layoffs, reduction of hours and the possibility of long-term economic insecurity," said Marcela Díaz, Executive Director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido. "They shouldn't have to think about deportation too. If immigrants have to think twice about seeking critical health services for their families, everyone is put at risk. The federal government should suspend all I-9 inspections, including the ones they initiated in New Mexico last week."

The City and Somos will be distributing information about the rights of workers and business owners when dealing with an I-9 inspection through social media, the City's website, and organizational text message alert and email systems.

"The city, county and state are working around the clock to address this health crisis, and ICE is thwarting these crucial efforts. All enforcement activities must stop." said María Cristina López, a member of the City of Santa Fe's Immigration Committee. "We also want to remind our community it has the right not to answer the door to strangers or talk to ICE agents, and employers should also know their rights in order to protect their workforce. Please seek information from local organizations and immigration attorneys."

For a link to the National Employment Law Project's English and Spanish tool kit on how to address I-9 inspections click here and here.

For Spanish language information from Somos about civil rights when interacting with ICE, click here.

For interviews with workers or employer impacted by the I-9 audits, contact Marcela Díaz at (505) 670-9301.

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Somos Un Pueblo Unido is a statewide immigrant-based civil and workers' rights organization with membership teams in eight counties and offices in Santa Fe, Hobbs and Roswell.