On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced the signing of an executive order that will have significant implications for the country’s immigration system. As a result, employers need to begin to consider how changes in employment eligibility verification and worksite enforcement, immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, and employment-based immigration provisions will impact their businesses. Squire Patton Boggs hosted a webinar panel comprised of policy and legal experts to help employers prepare for the coming changes in immigration law and also explain the inner workings of the implementation of the Executive Order that would be of interest to federal vendors.
In a recent development, seventeen states filed a lawsuit on December 3, 2014 in the Federal District Court, Brownsville, Texas, challenging the President’s executive actions and arguing that he violated his constitutional duty to enforce the laws and illegally placed new burdens on state budgets. Attorney General and Governor-Elect, Greg Abbot of Texas filed the suit on behalf of Texas and the states of Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Maine. The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief preventing the implementation of the Deferred Action programs discussed in our recent publication, Executive Immigration Reform and its Effect on Employers.
We will continue to monitor and provide insight into the President’s Executive Order. If you have any questions, need further guidance, or would like to explore ways to affect and influence the rule making process, please reach out to any of our Squire Patton Boggs speakers or your contact.