Source: http://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/FR/HTML/FR/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-145991/0-0-0-165820/0-0-0-176074.html
Timestamp: 2013-05-20 16:19:11
Document Index: 380866064

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 270', 'arts 270', 'art 1274', 'art 68', 'art 44', 'art 68', 'art 68', 'arts 270', 'art 1274', 'art 274', 'art 68', 'art 274', 'art 1274', 'art 68', 'art 85', 'ART 270', 'art 270', 'ART 280', '§280', 'ART 1274', 'ART 68']

Inflation Adjustment for Civil Monetary Penalties Under Sections 274A, 274B, and 274C of the Immigration and Nationality Act [73 FR 10130] [FR 17-08]
\ fr \ Federal Register Publications (CIS, ICE, CBP) \ Federal Register Publications (CIS, ICE, CBP) - 2008 \ FEDERAL REGISTER FINAL REGULATIONS - 2008 \ Inflation Adjustment for Civil Monetary Penalties Under Sections 274A, 274B, and 274C of the Immigration and Nationality Act [73 FR 10130] [FR 17-08]
Inflation Adjustment for Civil Monetary Penalties Under Sections 274A, 274B, and 274C of the Immigration and Nationality Act [
] [FR 17-08]
FR 17-08
8 CFR Parts 270, 274a, and 280
RIN 1653-AA39
RIN 1125-AA61
Concerning amendments to 8 CFR parts 270 and 274a:
Marissa Hernandez, National Program Manager for Worksite Enforcement, Office of Investigations, 425 I Street, NW., Washington, DC 20536, telephone number (202) 307-0071 (not a toll free call).
Concerning amendments made to 8 CFR part 1274a and 28 CFR part 68:
Kevin J. Chapman, Acting General Counsel, Executive Office for Immigration Review, 5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2600, Falls Church, Virginia 22041, telephone number (703) 305-0470 (not a toll free call).
On April 26, 1996, the President signed into law the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104-134. Section 31001 of that Act, also known as the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (Improvement Act), amended the Adjustment Act to provide more effective tools for government-wide collection of delinquent debt. Section 31001(s)(1) of the Improvement Act added a new section 7 to the Adjustment Act providing that any increase in a civil monetary penalty made pursuant to
this Act shall apply only to violations that occur after the date the increase takes effect. The Improvement Act provides that the adjustments for inflation required by the Adjustment Act should be made every four years.
The amounts of the adjustments are determined according to a detailed formula specified in the Adjustment Act, incorporating a ``cost-of-living adjustment'' that is defined in section 5(b) of the Adjustment Act as being the percentage (if any) for each civil monetary penalty by which:
These final rules revise the current regulations implementing three different sections in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that provide for the imposition of civil money penalties to be imposed for violations of the law, each of which include provisions for a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ) to adjudicate cases and set the amount of the penalty. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has enforcement responsibilities for two of these civil penalty provisions, \1\
while the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice has enforcement responsibilities for the third.
Section 274A of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1324a)
. Section 274A provides for imposition of civil penalties for various specified unlawful acts pertaining to the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9) and the employment of unauthorized aliens. These penalties cover, among other things, the knowing employment of unauthorized aliens and the failure to comply with the employment verification requirements relating to completion of Form I-9.
Section 274B of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1324b).
Section 274B provides for imposition of civil penalties for specified actions constituting immigration-related unfair employment practices. These penalties cover, among other things, discrimination against job applicants or employees based on nationality or citizenship status, and violations of the law by an employer who refuses to accept permissible documents presented by an employee in compliance with the Form I-9 requirements (for example, by insisting that an employee must present a so-called ``green c
ard'' even though the employee has already presented proper documentation to complete Form I-9).
The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC), a component within the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, is responsible for investigating alleged violations of section 274B of the INA pertaining to unfair immigration-related employment practices (called ``charges''). See 28 CFR part 44. After investigating the charges, OSC is authorized to file a complaint to initiate a civil penalty proceeding. The law also includes a private action provision a
llowing the person making a charge to file a complaint directly if OSC has not filed a complaint within 120 days after receiving the charges.
Section 274C of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1324c)
. Section 274C provides for imposition of civil penalties for specified actions relating to immigration-related document fraud.
Hearings for Adjudicating Complaints and Imposing Penalties
. Each of these three sections of the INA provides that, when administrative hearings are necessary to adjudicate the complaints and impose the civil penalties, the hearings are to be conducted before an ALJ. Accordingly, the Attorney General established the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO), an office within the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in the Department of Justice, to conduct the ALJ hearings for civil penalty actions under each of these three statutes. See 2
8 CFR part 68.
Because both DHS and EOIR can impose penalties relating to employer sanctions and document fraud cases (sections 274A and 274C, respectively), the current regulations of both Departments specify the range of penalties applicable in these kinds of cases. As noted above, the minimum and maximum civil penalty amounts for each violation will necessarily be the same whether the penalties are imposed by DHS without a hearing, or by OCAHO after an administrative hearing. See 8 CFR 274a.10 and 270.3; 28 CFR 68.
52(c) and (e).
Pursuant to the authority of the Adjustment Act, the Department of Justice has previously adjusted the civil money penalties for inflation, increasing the specific amounts stated in sections 274A, 274B, and 274C of the INA. The amounts of the civil money penalties currently being imposed under these provisions were last adjusted for inflation in 1999. See 64 FR 7066 (Feb. 12, 1999) (amending 28 CFR part 68); 64 FR 47099 (Aug. 30, 1999) (amending 8 CFR parts 270 and 274a, among others). Since then, as no
ted, the division of responsibilities between the Attorney General and the Secretary of DHS requires action by both Departments in order to effectuate a further adjustment of the civil penalties, since the current civil penalty amounts are codified in the implementing regulations of both Departments.
The Attorney General is also revising a provision in the EOIR regulations, 8 CFR part 1274a.10, to eliminate the current language and to substitute a cross-reference to the existing DHS regulations in 8 CFR part 274a and the existing OCAHO regulations in 28 CFR part 68. Section 1274a.10, which simply reproduces the existing DHS regulations at 8 CFR 274a.10, was promulgated in 2003, in connection with the transfer of authority from the former INS to DHS. To ensure that all relevant authority relating to the shared responsibilities was preserved, the Attorney General at that time duplicated in their entirety the regulations in 8 CFR part 274a (which were being transferred to DHS) into the then-new part 1274a so that these provisions would also continue to be part of the Attorney General's regulations. See 68 FR 9824 (Feb. 28, 2003). However, since the penalty provisions in section 1274a.10 do not add anything to the existing regulatory provisions, the Attorney General is now revising section 1274a.10 to eli
minate the duplicative language and to substitute new language cross-referencing the existing DHS regulations in 8 CFR 274a.10 and the existing OCAHO regulations in 28 CFR part 68.
As noted, the current amounts of the civil money penalties under these three statutory provisions were last adjusted, by regulation, in 1999. Pursuant to section 5(b) of the Adjustment Act, the cost of living adjustment is calculated with reference to the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers for June 1999 (497.9) and for June 2007 (the year preceding the current inflation adjustments) (624.1). This works out to an inflation adjustment of 25.35 percent. Pursuant to the statutory formula specified
in the Adjustment Act, the civil money penalties under sections 274A, 274B, and 274C of the INA are being adjusted as indicated in the chart below.
Because these penalties are being adjusted for the first time, the penalties are being increased by ten percent, the maximum allowable increase for initial increases provided for by section 31001(s)(2) of the Improvement Act. In addition, this rule makes a conforming change to 8 CFR 280.53, which references the second set of penalties, since these penalties are now being adjusted.
(Table can be viewed at the following URL: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-3320.pdf
Again, these changes are being made pursuant to a detailed statutory formula that does not allow for any discretion or any variances from the results calculated. The higher civil penalty amounts will be effective for violations occurring on or after the effective date of these rules. For violations occurring prior to the effective date of these rules, the civil penalty amounts set forth in the current regulations will continue to apply.
These rules fulfill the obligations of the Secretary and the Attorney General under the Adjustment Act, as amended, to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties under these three statutory provisions for which both Departments have implementing responsibilities. In separate rulemaking actions in the future, the Secretary will be adjusting other civil money penalties that are within the responsibility of DHS, and the Attorney General will be adjusting other civil money penalties that are within t
he responsibility of the Department of Justice. See, e.g., 8 CFR 280.53; 28 CFR part 85.
The Secretary and the Attorney General find that good cause exists under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) for immediate implementation of these final rules without prior notice and comment. These rules are a nondiscretionary ministerial action to conform the amount of civil penalties assessed or enforced by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice according to the statutorily mandated ranges as adjusted for inflation. The Secretary and the Attorney General are under a legal obligation to a
djust these civil penalties for inflation. The calculation of these inflation adjustments follows the specific mathematical formula set forth in section 5 of the Adjustment Act.
The Secretary and the Attorney General, in accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 605(b), have reviewed these rules and by approving them certify that they will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Only those entities which are determined to have violated Federal law and regulations would be affected by the inflation adjustments made by these rules, pursuant to the statutory requirement under the Adjustment Act, for the penalties imposed und
er sections 274A, 274B, and 274C of the INA.
These rules have been drafted and reviewed in accordance with Executive Order 12866, section 1(b), Principles of Regulation. The Secretary and the Attorney General have determined that these rules are not ``significant regulatory actions'' under Executive Order 12866, section 3(f), Regulatory Planning and Review, and accordingly these rules have not been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget.
Administrative practice and procedure, Immigration, Law enforcement.
Administrative practice and procedure, Aliens, Citizenship and naturalization, Civil Rights, Discrimination in employment, Employment, Equal employment opportunity, Immigration, Nationality, Non-discrimination.
PART 270--PENALTIES FOR DOCUMENT FRAUD
The authority citation for part 270 continues to read as follows:
8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, and 1324c; Pub. L. 101-410, 104 Stat. 890, as amended by Pub. L. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321.
(A) First offense under section 274C(a)(1) through (a)(4)
. Not less than $275 and not exceeding $2,200 for each fraudulent document or each proscribed activity described in section 274C(a)(1) through (a)(4) of the Act before March 27, 2008, and not less than $375 and not exceeding $3,200 for each fraudulent document or each proscribed activity on or after March 27, 2008.
(C) Subsequent offenses under section 274C(a)(1) through (a)(4). Not less than $2,200 and not more than $5,500 for each fraudulent document or each proscribed activity described in section 274C(a)(1) through (a)(4) of the Act before March 27, 2008, and not less than $3,200 and not exceeding $6,500, for each fraudulent document or each proscribed activity occurring on or after March 27, 2008.
4. Section 274a.10 is amended by revising paragraphs (b)(1)(ii)(A),(b)(1)(ii)(B), and (b)(1)(ii)(C) to read as follows:
(B) Second offense--not less than $2,200 and not more than $5,500 for each unauthorized alien with respect to whom the second offense occurred before March 27, 2008, and not less than $3,200 and not more than $6,500, for each unauthorized alien with respect to whom the second offense occurred on or after March 27, 2008; or
(C) More than two offenses--not less than $3,300 and not more than $11,000 for each unauthorized alien with respect to whom the third or subsequent offense occurred before March 27, 2008 and not less than $4,300 and not exceeding $16,000, for each unauthorized alien with respect to whom the third or subsequent offense occurred on or after March 27, 2008; and
PART 280--IMPOSITION AND COLLECTION OF FINES
§280.53 [Amended].
PART 1274a--CONTROL OF EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS
8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, 1324a.
PART 68--RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS BEFORE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGES IN CASES INVOLVING ALLEGATIONS OF UNLAWFUL EMPLOYMENT OF ALIENS, UNFAIR IMMIGRATION-RELATED EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES, AND DOCUMENT FRAUD
68.52, revise paragraphs (c)(1)(i), (c)(1)(ii),(c)(1)(iii), (c)(6), (d)(1)(viii), (d)(1)(ix), (d)(1)(x), (e)(1)(i), and (e)(1)(ii) and add paragraphs (e)(1)(iii) and (iv) to read as follows:
Although the enforcement of these provisions of the immigration laws was initially assigned to the Attorney General, and had been delegated to the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the Homeland Security Act abolished the former INS and transferred its functions to DHS, effective March 1, 2003. See 6 U.S.C. 251, 291.
The current regulations, which implemented the last set of inflation adjustments in 1999, also include the ranges of civil penalty amounts for violations that occurred prior to the adjustment; that is, for violations that occurred prior to September 29, 1999, as well as violations that occurred after the 1999 adjustments were adopted. At this point, the revised regulations being adopted in these final rules do not set forth the civil penalty amounts for violations that occurred prior to the adoption of the adjusted civil penalty schedules in 1999, more than 8 years ago. Title 28 of the United States Code contains a ``general'' four-year statute of limitations for civil actions where no precise statute of limitations has been specified. 28 U.S.C. 1658. In any event, the amounts of the civil penalties for violations occurring prior to the adoption of the 1999 regulations have already been codified in the regulations as they were in effect from 1999 until the day before the effective date of these new rules.