During a July 6 segment on WBUR’s “Here & Now,” New York Times immigration correspondent Hamed Aleaziz said internal data show federal agents have been working overtime since July 1 to double the average weekly number of interior arrests. Field offices in Houston, Chicago and Atlanta reportedly received quotas to clear backlogs before the fiscal-year budget “color-of-money” deadline on July 15. Companies in manufacturing, logistics and food processing are already reporting unannounced audits and after-hours pick-ups of night-shift workers. Attorneys note that recent Supreme Court rulings limiting judicial review leave little recourse for detainees. Employers that rely on E-Verify alone may find it insufficient if agents claim identity fraud; counsel recommend keeping secondary proof of status on file and arranging rapid-response protocols for detained staff. Aleaziz also flagged a 300-agent operation targeting ride-share drivers flagged through Department of Motor Vehicles data sharing—an emerging risk for gig-economy platforms. The surge, he said, appears tied to White House pressure to show “results” after passage of the $70 billion Secure America Act last month. Whether the pace is sustainable remains unclear given detention-bed constraints.
Source: WBUR Here & Now
