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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Michigan: House Plan Would Punish Those Who Employ Illegal Immigrants With Felony Charge Employers would face felony charges for hiring illegal immigrants if a new plan were to pass the Michigan Legislature. House Democrats unveiled a plan Thursday that they claim intervenes where the federal government has failed to act. Under the plan, employers would be required to document the legal status of their workers. Michigan workers also would be provided legal recourse when they suspect companies have replaced them with undocumented laborers. Reps. Kate Ebli, D-Monroe, and Kathy Angerer, D-Dundee, met at the Monroe County Courthouse Thursday morning to discuss the plan. "With Michigan struggling under the nation's highest unemployment rate, we must make sure that Michigan jobs go to Michigan workers," said Rep. Ebli, a lead sponsor of the package. "Employers who choose to break the law and hire illegal immigrants are hurting our working families, our communities and Michigan businesses that play by the rules. "This plan will give Michigan the tools it currently lacks to punish these companies. Creating and protecting jobs for Michigan workers must be our top priority as we work to turn our economy around." Hiring an illegal immigrant is a crime - a felony or misdemeanor, depending on the situation. Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act outlines that a person - including a group of people, a business, an organization or local government - commits a federal felony when she or he knowingly transports, houses or hires an illegal immigrant. Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime. But it's a law that is rarely enforced, according to figures provided by the federal government. The Immigration and Naturalization Service, which has been merged into the Homeland Security Department, reported that in 1999 the United States initiated fines against 417 companies. In 2004, it issued fine notices to three. Although criminal charges against companies have increased in the past two years, some states feel it's not enough and have considered or passed similar measures. "Our plan sends a clear message: Employers who try to take advantage of cheap illegal labor must be held accountable," Rep. Angerer said.
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