Milford Health Care Company Partners with ICE IMAGE Program

Countryside Health Care of Milford has followed the town’s lead by partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) employment compliance program, IMAGE, or "ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers."

The Town of Milford partnered with ICE in August to protect the integrity of their workforce, becoming the first municipality in New England with this distinction. Countryside Health Care of Milford took notice, and has also partnered with ICE.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Countryside Health Care of Milford to our IMAGE family," said Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Boston. "When employers make a commitment to hire and maintain a lawful workforce, it's good not only for their business, but for the community and the nation. ICE actively pursues partnership with those employers that want to comply with employment eligibility verification requirements, including local governments throughout New England. By partnering with ICE, employers receive invaluable training and the tools necessary to ensure a lawful workforce. I am hopeful that other municipalities and companies will follow the actions of Countryside and the Town of Milford."

Countryside Health Care of Milford is a non-profit, municipal, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, reliably providing care to the greater Milford elders since 1825. Countryside Health Care of Milford offers a continuum of care that addresses all long-term care and short-term rehabilitation needs. The mission of Countryside Health Care of Milford is to provide resident-focused, comprehensive and interdisciplinary health care services within a secure and caring environment. They accomplish their organizational mission in an atmosphere of progressive management, continuous quality improvement and high ethical standards.

IMAGE program

 

Undocumented workers create vulnerabilities in today's marketplace by presenting false documents to gain employment, completing applications for fraudulent benefits and stealing identities of legal United States workers. To combat this, ICE initiated the IMAGE program in 2006. As part of the IMAGE program, ICE provides employers with education and training on proper hiring procedures, including use of employment screening tools such as E-Verify.

IMAGE certified employers also undergo an audit of their I-9 forms to ensure current employees are eligible to work in the United States.

Employers that are certified with ICE through the IMAGE program pledge to maintain a secure and stable workforce and curtail the employment of unauthorized workers through outreach and education. ICE recently revamped IMAGE, simplifying program requirements.

E-Verify

 

All IMAGE members must participate in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) E-Verify employment eligibility verification program. Through this program, employers can verify that newly hired employees are eligible to work in the United States. This Internet-based system is available throughout the nation and is free to employers. It provides an automated link to the Social Security Administration database and DHS immigration records.

HSI worksite investigations

 

Effective worksite enforcement plays an important role in the fight against illegal immigration. HSI has developed a comprehensive worksite enforcement strategy that promotes national security, protects critical infrastructure and targets employers who violate employment laws or engage in abuse or exploitation of workers.

An effective worksite enforcement strategy must address both employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, as well as the workers themselves. In worksite cases, HSI investigators adhere to high investigative standards, including the following:

·                             HSI will look for evidence of the mistreatment of workers, along with evidence of trafficking, smuggling, harboring, visa fraud, identification document fraud, money laundering and other such criminal conduct; and

·                             HSI will obtain indictments, criminal arrests or search warrants, or a commitment from a U.S. attorney's office to prosecute the targeted employer before arresting employees for civil immigration violations at a worksite.

HSI also works with the private sector to educate employers about their responsibilities to hire only authorized workers and how to accurately verify employment eligibility, through such tools as the IMAGE program.

I-9 audits

 

Employers are required to complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This form requires employers to review and record the individual's identity and employment eligibility document(s) and determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and related to the individual. Additionally, an employer must ensure that the employee provides certain information regarding his or her eligibility to work, on the Form I-9.

"HSI will continue to hold employers accountable for hiring and maintaining a legal workforce," added Foucart. "We encourage employers to take the employment verification process seriously, as we expand the number of audits we are conducting throughout New England each year. HSI will continue to focus its attention on employers that are knowingly employing illegal workers."

Employers – non-profits, companies and municipalities – in the New England area that are interested in the IMAGE program can call HSI Boston at 617-565-6286, or visit www.ICE.gov/IMAGE.

Fairytale Brownies Pledges Legal Immigration Employment Practices; Certified as ICE IMAGE Partner

A mail-order gourmet brownie business became the 17th Arizona company to join a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) program designed to strengthen hiring practices and combat the unlawful employment of illegal aliens.

Fairytale Brownies Inc., was certified as an "IMAGE" or "ICE Mutual Agreement Between Government and Employers" partner during a ceremony Tuesday, October 16, 2012. IMAGE is a voluntary program that allows private industry to partner with ICE to reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity documents.

"By taking the initiative to become IMAGE certified, Fairytale Brownies is setting the example for other small businesses in the state and around the country," said Matt Allen, special agent in charge of HSI Arizona. "When employers make a commitment to hire and maintain a lawful workforce, it's good not only for their business, but for the community and the nation."

Fairytale Brownies was started in a small Scottsdale catering kitchen in 1992 and has since grown into a large mail order business with annual revenues of $10 million. The company's operations are now managed from a southeast Phoenix facility that produces as many as 60,000 brownies daily and employs 40 regular workers and a peak seasonal workforce of 150 employees.

Earlier this month, the company was named one of three recipients of the Better Business Bureau's 2012 International Torch Awards for Marketplace Excellence, which recognize U.S. and Canadian businesses that exemplify the advancement of trust in the marketplace.

"Fairytale Brownies is honored to be accepted into ICE's IMAGE program," said Kim Silva, operations team leader with Fairytale Brownies. "Our core business values are product excellence, incomparable service, integrity, teamwork and leadership in the workplace. We strongly believe in conducting business in a way that makes both our employees and customers proud. Being accepted into the IMAGE program further solidifies our commitment to this philosophy and signifies that Fairytale Brownies continues to be an industry leader among those throughout the business community."

Undocumented workers create vulnerabilities in today's marketplace by presenting false documents to gain employment, completing applications for fraudulent benefits, and stealing identities of legal United States workers. To combat this, ICE initiated the IMAGE program in 2006.

As part of the IMAGE program, ICE provides private companies with education and training on proper hiring procedures, including use of employment screening tools such as E-Verify.

IMAGE certified companies also undergo an audit of their I-9 forms to ensure current employees are eligible to work in the United States.

Arizona employers interested in learning more about IMAGE membership may call the ICE IMAGE coordinator in Phoenix at 602- 407-6155 or visit www.ICE.gov/image.

JBS USA becomes Latest Member of ICE IMAGE Program

JBS USA Holdings Inc., (JBS USA) one of the largest meat processing companies in the United States, is the newest member of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) nationwide program designed to encourage businesses to collaborate with ICE and use hiring best practices to ensure they are maintaining a lawful workforce.

JBS USA Chief Executive Officer Don Jackson and ICE Director John Morton signed the IMAGE, or "ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers," agreement during a ceremony Wednesday, October 3, 2012, at ICE headquarters. JBS USA is a leading processor of beef, pork and lamb in the United States, with more than 65,000 employees.

"ICE's collaboration with JBS USA reinforces this administration's commitment to working with industry to encourage a culture of compliance with U.S. employment laws," said Director Morton. "ICE is proud to be partnering with the company in this significant effort to protect our nation's lawful workforce."

"Today is an exciting day for JBS and serves as recognition of the considerable time, effort and financial resources we have invested in creating a top-flight workforce compliance culture," said Don Jackson, President and CEO, JBS USA. "It is also a testament to the tremendous commitment of our 65,000 employees, without whom this opportunity would not have been possible. Through our voluntary partnership with the government, it is my expectation that we will continue to raise the bar for compliance in our industry and beyond, and remain worthy of the status that IMAGE partnership confers."

IMAGE is a voluntary program that allows businesses to partner with ICE as part of their efforts to maintain an authorized workforce and protect themselves from the use of fraudulent identity documents by current or prospective employees. This program compliments ICE's worksite enforcement strategy, which focuses on holding employers accountable who knowingly hire unauthorized workers to minimize operating costs and boost profits.

Undocumented workers create vulnerabilities in today's marketplace by presenting false documents to gain employment, complete applications for fraudulent benefits, and steal identities of legal U.S. workers. To combat this, ICE initiated the IMAGE program in 2006.

All IMAGE members must participate in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) E-Verify employment eligibility verification program. Through this program, employers can verify that newly hired employees are eligible to work in the United States. This Internet-based system is available throughout the nation and is free to employers. It provides an automated link to the Social Security Administration database and DHS immigration records.

Upon completion of IMAGE program requirements, program participants are deemed "IMAGE certified," a distinction DHS and ICE believe will become an industry standard. IMAGE also provides employers with free training on the Form I-9, fraudulent document detection, and how to build a solid immigration compliance model.