L.A. employers face immigration audits

Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce president and Chief Executive Gary Toebben said in a statement Wednesday that ICE should concentrate efforts on companies that have a "clear history of worker exploitation" of wage-and-hour and health-and-safety laws. "Mass enforcement actions against employers who are complying with their I-9 obligations can be devastating to these businesses and our overall economy," he said.

In any kind of work-site immigration enforcement, employees are particularly vulnerable, and the latest cases are no exception, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. Salas said she was concerned that employers with pending audits would fear further immigration enforcement and fire workers, including those who have the legal right to work.

"At the end of the day, these workers are losing jobs," Salas said. "Instead of focusing so much attention on audits, the government should really focus on passing immigration reform."

L.A. attorney Carl Shusterman, who has represented numerous employers, said the audits may get unauthorized workers out of specific businesses but won't solve the problem of illegal immigration.

"If they are trying to drastically cut down on illegal immigrants living in the U.S.," he said, "the I-9 audits aren't effective, because the workers will just simply find another job."

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anna.gorman@latimes.com