July 17, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to an article on eyewitnessnewstv.com:  “About 20 cleaning workers from Central and South America remained in custody Wednesday after a sweep of six Rhode Island courthouses that targeted illegal immigrants, including some who investigators said used fake names and Social Security numbers to get hired.”

It is no secret that undocumented workers are usually victims of wage violations such as nonpayment payment of wages, overtime or minimum wage.  I do not know if this was the case here.  However, if the state of  Rhode Island hired these cleaning companies and knew or should have known that the workers were not paid the wages they were owed, the state could theoretically be held liable as a joint employer to these workers for unpaid wages.  Undocumented immigration status does not preclude workers from pursuing claims for earned, unpaid wages. 

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July 17, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

If you are a nonimmigrant traveling within the US, when going through security you will need to present government-issued identification to the TSA.  This ID does not need to be a passport or any immigration document.  A valid state driver’s license is sufficient.  If you present a passport, and the TSA agent questions the validity of your immigration status, this could lead to a delay and possible reporting to the Customs and Border Patrol.  Even if you are in valid nonimmigrant status, this delay could cause you to miss your flight. 

When possible, avoid presenting a foreign passport as your preferred form of ID.

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July 17, 2008 by Bradley Maged.

According to the Associated Press:  “A McDonald’s Corp. franchisee will pay a $1 million fine after pleading guilty in Las Vegas federal court to felony immigration offenses for giving false Social Security numbers to illegal aliens.”

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