Dominican employers in NY fear stiff fines, mull laying off compatriots

New York.- In the wake of last week’s arrest of some 100 undocumented workers in a truck platform factory in Texas, several Dominican employers in the city said they’ll have to dismiss their undocumented employees of their business, on fear of fines in the thousands of dollars from Immigration.

The employers, who asked not to use their names, admitted that having to fire people from their own country will be a tough measure but have no other choice in the face of the high fines.

They noted that the company Load Trail where the arrests took place was fined US$445,000 in 2014 for having hired 179 undocumented workers.

They said moreover, that last April, in Greater New York and suburbs, Immigration detained 225 undocumented people, who face deportation.

United States laws prohibit the hiring of undocumented immigrants, whereas the Department of Justice raised the minimum fine for hiring an illegal alien from US$375 to US$539, while the maximum fine rose from US$3,200 to US$4,313.