Published in Law360: Employer Tips for Responding to ICE in the Workplace
This article, by Jennifer Martinez and Brenda Quintanilla, was initially published by Law360 on June 26, 2025.
As media outlets across the country report a significant rise in immigration enforcement activities under President Donald Trump's new administration, it is imperative that employers establish policies and protocols to respond to immigration enforcement activities potentially occurring at the workplace.
This article offers a legal background on employers’ rights and duties, and practical guidance for interacting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, ICE has detained more than 100,000 people across the U.S. through various enforcement activities. There have been reports that these detentions even include U.S. citizens or other individuals with lawful status. Increasingly, the administration appears to be targeting cities throughout California, most visibly including Los Angeles and San Francisco. ICE raids and other enforcement activities have sparked protests statewide, prompting Trump to deploy the National Guard and the U.S. Marine Corps to Los Angeles.
Breaking with prior precedent, even during the first Trump administration, ICE has conducted raids in places that were once thought of as off-limits, such as courthouses, churches, schools, medical facilities and places of employment outside traditionally immigrant-heavy sectors.
Given this new landscape for immigration enforcement, employers in California, and nationwide, are struggling to balance their obligation to comply with applicable federal and state laws, and their desire to provide a safe workplace for their employees... Continued at the link below.
