‘Treat ICE like a vampire’ — and 5 more tips for dealing with law enforcement at work

Summary

At the American Bar Association labour and employment conference, former DHS attorney John Mazzeo and other experts urged employers to prepare formal response plans for interactions with law enforcement — particularly U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — as federal enforcement activity increases. They set out six practical steps: identify and train the likely first contact, prepare an intermediary to manage communications, map public and private workplace spaces, equip HR with its own response plan, audit I-9s and records proactively, and consider how video recordings (employee and security cameras) will be used or preserved. The guidance emphasises training, clear policies and working with legal counsel to reduce exposure and protect employees.

Key Points

Identify and train the first point of contact (e.g. reception) on what to say, who to call and how to limit access — “treat ICE like a vampire” (don’t invite them in).
Prepare an on-site intermediary (such as a manager) to de-escalate and immediately contact legal counsel.
Create a formal map that designates public vs private areas and train staff to maintain those boundaries.
Give HR its own documented response plan so the department knows who will talk to agents and how requests will be handled.
Conduct privileged internal audits (especially of Form I-9s) to ensure documents are complete and defensible.
Consider the role of video: employee recordings and security cameras can be evidentiary, but staff must avoid obstruction risks.

Context and relevance

This guidance arrives as federal immigration enforcement is rising and employers increasingly face on-site visits or raids. For people professionals, the advice is both legal and operational: clear entry rules, trained personnel, documented policies and privileged audits help limit legal exposure and protect workers. The recommendations tie into wider compliance trends — recordkeeping, incident response planning and the need for tabletop exercises with senior leadership and legal counsel.

Why should I read this?

Short version: because this is one of those messy, urgent things HR can’t afford to wing. The article gives six fast, actionable moves you can start implementing today to stop a bad situation becoming a legal and reputational nightmare. We’ve skimmed the detail so you don’t have to — but don’t shrug this off.

Source

Source: https://www.hrdive.com/news/what-to-do-ice-workplace/805748/