ICE raids take profit out of hiring undocumented workers

We remember a few years ago — maybe a decade or two — when authorities stopped a van full of undocumented immigrants, called federal authorities — and were told to let them go.

Thankfully, a bit of sanity returned with the establishment of the current federal agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement — ICE — and the new regulations it follows.

In northeast Nebraska on Wednesday, three men from Guatemala and 11 from Mexico were taken into custody after being suspected of immigration violations.

They worked at a plant outside Madison that produces wood products.

Members of the Latino American Commission said they would be helping families of those arrested in the raid.

Last August, several businesses near O’Neill were raided and dozens of workers were arrested.

While President Trump touts construction of his wall — including one supposedly in Colorado — the ICE raids get to the heart of the problem.

Little chance of finding work in America results in little incentive to break immigration laws.

Before 1986, employers didn’t risk much, beyond losing a worker, if they hired an undocumented immigrant.

That year, employers began being required to check the work authorization of every worker they hired, under the threat of penalties and even criminal prosecution.

You could be fined a minimum of $375 per unauthorized worker for a first offense, up to a maximum of $1,600 per worker for a third or subsequent offense.

If you are found to have engaged in a “pattern and practice” of hiring undocumented workers, then you can be fined up to $3,000 per employee and/or imprisoned for up to six months.

Removing the incentive to violate immigration laws will always be more effective than a physical barrier that is easily avoided.