New ICE Guidelines on Workplace Raids

The New York Times has a great editorial on last week's new guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement that shift toward prosecuting employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. It's a well-intentioned step, but a lot more needs to be done to fix the immigration system in the US.

The decision to adjust the policy on raids seems sensibly motivated. But we agree with immigration and labor experts like Professor Jennifer Gordon of Fordham Law School, who sees the new guidelines as a smarter version of a bad idea. Far better, she says, for the government to redouble enforcement of laws like the minimum wage, the right to organize, and health and safety protections. This would reduce the incentive to hire the undocumented, and raise standards for all workers. It would not end up devastating immigrant families, as raids do. In times like these, that would be a step toward immigration reform that all workers could support.