Ft. Lauderdale, FL- Typically, when we think of worker’s compensation fraud, we think of the guy with a back problem collecting his checks even when he is perfectly capable of working. But authorities in Florida have found a way to use worker’s compensation fraud to crack down on illegal immigration, raiding farms and charging dozens of immigrants with felonies.
In one such raid, which took place last July, at Oakes farm in Naples, 100 immigrants were arrested and charged for defrauding the state’s workers compensation. Immigrants from Mexico and Central America, many of whom are undocumented, were charged under a Florida statute making it a felony to use a false ID or driver’s license to secure employment and by extension workers compensation, according to Fox News Latino.
This is just one of the enforcement efforts of Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater who has made curtailing workers compensation fraud one of his main priorities. And the efforts of Atwater’s office has been successful, securing three times as many convictions for identity theft between July 2012 and July 2013 than in the previous four years, Fox noted.
In contrast, only 17 employers nationwide have been busted for underreporting their employee count or for failing to apply for worker’s compensation insurance. ,
But immigrant and worker’s advocates say Atwater is targeting employees, when they should be focusing employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers to keep their labor costs down. Advocates also say that the state is using the worker’s compensation fraud to enforce immigration laws which are under federal government authority.
Fox News Latino reported that most of the immigrants from the Oakes farm raid have agreed to a pretrial diversion program similar to probation. But a plea deal means these immigrants will have criminal conviction on their record, placing them in danger of deportation whether they are here illegally or not.
Being an undocumented immigrant is difficult life to lead, they are demonized by some, and live in the constant threat of deportation. Many immigrants choose to enter the U.S. illegally because they want to be reunited with their families and don’t know how to navigate the legal immigration system.
Ft. Lauderdale immigration attorney Paul Goldstein understands the challenges people face when they try to immigrate to the U.S. legally and is willing to help his clients face those challenges so they are successful in their immigration endeavors. As a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Associating, Paul Goldstein is well-versed in U.S. immigration laws and knows the many programs available that allow immigrants to enter the country legally.
Obtaining a visa is the first step in legal immigration, but even this can be a complex process. There are many classes of visas available to an immigrant such as travel visas or work visas. Some immigrants are also eligible for waivers for family-based and other visas. Ft. Lauderdale immigration attorney Paul Goldstein will devote his time and expertise to his clients’ cases and is willing the take the steps necessary to ensure they obtain the visa or waiver they are seeking.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/money/2014/10/08/florida-unfairly-targeting-undocumented-agricultural-workers-who-used-fake-ids/
