ICE Raids District 7-Eleven Stores, Arrests 21 In National Sting

WASHINGTON, DC — Immigration agents raided 98 7-Eleven stores in Washington, D.C., Maryland and elsewhere across the country Wednesday, arresting 21 people as part of the largest illegal immigration crackdown to date since President Donald Trump took office. The sweep was part of a large-scale operation that also served as a warning to companies that may have unauthorized workers on their payroll, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

The 7-Eleven stores also were served notices warning against hiring undocumented immigrants, and they could have their payrolls audited. Businesses that hire workers not authorized to be in the country are a "pull factor" for illegal immigration, ICE Acting Director Tom Homan said in a statement, and the Trump administration "is working hard to remove this magnet."

"ICE will continue its efforts to protect jobs for American workers by eliminating unfair competitive advantages for companies that exploit illegal immigration," Homan said in the statement.

ICE said it began serving notices and arresting people at 6:30 a.m., temporarily shutting down 7-Eleven stores in Washington, D.C., Maryland, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

ICE officials did not offer specifics on what stores were targeted, and who was arrested. Patch will update this story as information comes in.

Wednesday’s raids stemmed from a 2013 investigation that led to charges against nine 7-Eleven franchisees and managers in New York and Virginia, the Associated Press reports. Eight of those suspects have pleaded guilty and were ordered to pay more than $2.6 million in back wages, and the ninth was arrested in November.

"Today's actions send a strong message to U.S. businesses that hire and employ an illegal workforce: ICE will enforce the law, and if you are found to be breaking the law, you will be held accountable," Homan said.

The 7-Eleven corporate office released a statement distancing itself from the crackdown, saying it delegates hiring practices to its franchise owners.

"7-Eleven franchisees are independent business owners and are solely responsible for their employees including deciding who to hire and verifying their eligibility to work in the United States," the company said in the statement. "This means that all store associates in a franchised store are employees of the franchisee and not 7-Eleven Inc."

In a release, ICE said it developed a comprehensive worksite enforcement strategy that targets employers who violate employment laws.

This strategy incorporates the following conduct worksite enforcement: compliance, through I-9 inspections, civil fines and referrals for debarment; enforcement, through the arrest of employers, knowingly employing undocumented workers, and the arrest of unauthorized workers for violation of laws associated with working without authorization; and outreach, through the ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers program, to instill a culture of compliance and accountability.

"HSI prioritizes violators who abuse and exploit their workers, aid in the smuggling or trafficking of their alien workforce into the United States, create false identity documents or facilitate document fraud, or create an entire business model using an unauthorized workforce," said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Derek Benner. "Further priority is given to looking closely at those companies or industries that are deemed national security or critical infrastructure interests."

From an operational standpoint, each worksite enforcement investigation is unique, ICE said. Many factors are considered and, depending on the level of cooperation and culpability, the final outcome for the company and its employees will vary from case to case.

For example, a recently completed investigation of Asplundh Tree Experts Co., one of the largest privately-held companies in the United States, revealed a scheme to unlawfully employ aliens, in which the highest levels of Asplundh management remained willfully blind while lower level managers hired and rehired employees they knew to be ineligible to work in the United States.

The company pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a monetary forfeiture judgment in the amount of $80 million – the largest judgment ever handed down in a worksite enforcement investigation. They are also required to abide by an administrative compliance agreement, as set forth by HSI Philadelphia, the local jurisdiction for the company's headquarters, according to ICE.

Story by Patch Editor Tom Davis

ICE photo