05/20/12
Deficient Electronic I-9 Verification System Leads to $1 Million Fine Settlement with Abercrombie & Fitch
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that a $1,047,110 fine settlement was reached with Abercrombie & Fitch for INA violations after an audit by ICE uncovered technology-related deficiencies in the company's electronic I-9 verification system. "Employers are responsible not only for the people they hire but also for the internal systems they choose to utilize to manage their employment process and those systems must result in effective compliance," said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of ICE HSI for Ohio and Michigan. "We are pleased to see Abercrombie working diligently to complete the implementation of an effective compliance system; however, we know that there are other companies who are not doing so. This settlement should serve as a warning to other companies that may not yet take the employment verification process seriously or provide it the attention it warrants."
Notably, ICE found no evidence that Abercrombie knowingly hiring employees without work authorization.
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