U.S. shifts focus to stop employers intentionally seeking illegal labor

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/040309dnintmexico.3d4bb69.html

12:08 AM CDT on Friday, April 3, 2009

By LAURENCE ILIFF / The Dallas Morning News
[e-mail]

JIUTEPEC, Mexico – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday that there will not be a "moratorium" on workplace raids against illegal immigrants but rather a shift toward going after the employers who seek them out.

"I would not say we're talking about a moratorium; that's too blunt a word to use," she said at a news conference after she and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder were meeting on law enforcement issues with their Mexican counterparts.

"It's a more nuanced priority setting, based on how do you get the best immigration enforcement at the work site and really get to those who profit unduly from hiring illegal labor," she said.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had hinted at a shift in policy during her visit to Mexico City last week that is more in line with President Barack Obama's campaign stance that employers should be more of the focus of immigration enforcement.

Napolitano said new guidelines for immigration agents who work in the interior of the country would be issued soon, reflecting the shift in the administration's focus, but insisted the ultimate goal is better enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.

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