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U.S. Department of Homeland Security Announces New Process to Protect Undocumented Whistleblowers

For an in-depth look at the U.S Department of Homeland Security’s announcement, check out WR’s upcoming webinar on May 31, 2023 at 11 AM PST.  On January 13, 2023, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an initiative to extend more protection against deportation for undocumented immigrants who report labor rights violations by employers. These protections are meant to allow undocumented workers to speak out about labor violations without fear of retribution. With this enhanced initiative, DHS provides an improved legal process for whistleblowing undocumented immigrants to defer removal (deportation) from the United States for two years and obtain a temporary work permit.  Although DHS has explained that this policy is to protect workers from “unscrupulous employers”, any employer could potentially find themselves in a situation in which this issue arises and will need to understand the new policy.  _____  Q. What do employers need to know?  A. Employers should continue to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local labor laws. Labor laws are not impacted by this update. Rather, the DHS is streamlining certain protections to undocumented whistleblowers who cooperate with investigators.  Q. What government agencies are/could be involved?  A. Any labor and employment agencies – at the local, […]