El Paso businesses partner with ICE HSI to ensure legal hiring practices

EL PASO, Texas — Two El Paso businesses on Wednesday partnered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to strengthen their corporate hiring practices and reduce unauthorized employment.

Transmountain Corral LLC, DBA Golden Corral, and Access Communications Group LLC, partnered with “IMAGE”, or ICE Mutual Agreement between Government Employers. The buffet-style restaurant and communications firm joined more than 15 other businesses that are IMAGE partners in the SAC El Paso area of responsibility, which extends from Alpine, Texas, to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Undocumented workers may secure jobs through fraudulent means, such as presenting false documents, completing fraudulent benefit applications and stealing the identity of legal U.S. workers. The IMAGE program helps combat unlawful employment and reduce vulnerabilities that help noncitizens gain such employment.

“HSI is committed to upholding the laws that govern labor exploitation. These laws help protect jobs for U.S. citizens and others who are lawfully employed, reduce the incentive of illegal migration, eliminate unfair competitive advantages for companies that hire an illegal workforce, and ultimately help strengthen public safety and national security,” SAC Burrola said.

Transmountain Corral LLC, DBA Golden Corral, is an American restaurant chain that offers an all-you-can-eat buffet and grill. It is a privately held company headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, with locations in 43 U.S. states. The Transmountain location employs 56 workers.

Established in 1996, ACG has been in business for over 24 years. A minority owned business. ACG manages large-scale and small-scale projects from construction and security cameras to IT engineering and audio visual services. Its customers include the Department of the Interior, Department of Defense, German Air Force, NASA, as well as multiple school districts. It has 27 employees.

Julio Chairez, general manager of the Transmountain Golden Corral, and Ana Espinoza, president and CEO of ACG, represented their companies on Wednesday’s formal signing event with SAC Burrola.

“We decided to become an IMAGE partner to help our company enhance our new-hire compliance and business practices,” Chairez said. “We recommend all small businesses to join IMAGE to avoid costly fines due to I-9 non-compliance and/or document errors. IMAGE appealed to us because it is absolutely free, and we look at it as a tool or service provided by HSI to help educate us as employers.”

Espinoza, who has taken advantage of IMAGE trainings offered by HSI, said: “As a small business that is growing rapidly, we need to make sure we stay in compliance. Along the journey to become an IMAGE partner, we have learned valuable lessons and the support offered to us was unparalleled! We are grateful that we were able to learn and avoid common pitfalls growing businesses may see when their focus is not on compliance. The IMAGE program is one I would recommend to any and all businesses - large or small. IMAGE trainings I attended gave me the opportunity to see the deficiencies and risks we may have taken if we didn’t partner with IMAGE.”

To qualify for IMAGE certification, partners must agree to the following conditions:

• conduct a self-assessment of their hiring practices to uncover vulnerabilities that could be exploited by unauthorized workers;
• enroll in E-Verify, an employment eligibility verification program;
• train staff on IMAGE Best Employment Practices and the use of new screening tools; and
• undergo a Form I-9 audit by ICE.

The IMAGE program was announced in July 2006 to assist employers develop a more secure and stable workforce. It also enhances fraudulent document awareness through education and training.

IMAGE now offers a formal membership certification program that focuses on exceptional employers that have the ability to effect change within their industry or region. These employers also serve as an example and role model in the business community while highlighting the importance and viability of immigration compliance.

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 enrollment in and commitment to the IMAGE Best Employment Practices, program participants are deemed “IMAGE certified,” a distinction DHS and HSI believe will become an industry standard. IMAGE also provides free training to all employers on the provisions surrounding their Forms I-9 fraudulent document detection and building a solid immigration compliance model.

IMAGE members will also learn about the importance of avoiding discrimination in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act’s anti-discrimination provision §274B.8U.S.C.§1324b.

The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices enforces the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act § 274B, 8 U.S.C. § 1324b. This statute prohibits discrimination in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee that is based on an individual's national origin or citizenship status. The statute also prohibits discrimination during the employment eligibility verification (Form I-9 and E-Verify) process (document abuse), and retaliation or intimidation.

Companies interested in more information on the IMAGE program can visit ICE.gov/image.

HSI El Paso conducts IMAGE-training presentations. The training sessions are free to employers after making a reservation.

For more information, El Paso business owners should contact the HSI El Paso IMAGE coordinator at (915) 857-6150 or (915) 857-6370.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of DHS, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI El Paso’s activity in your community at @HSIElPaso