WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Immigration authorities will check all Chipotle restaurants in Virginia and Washington, D.C., for illegal workers, the burrito chain says.
Spokesman Chris Arnold told the Los Angeles Times Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent the company "notices of inspections" for about 60 restaurants. The step follows a sweep of Chipotles in Minnesota last year.
Arnold warned that firings would follow. "If they cannot provide legal documentation, then we cannot legally employ them," he said.
ICE spokeswoman Gillian Brigham said the agency is "attacking" employers of illegal immigrants and focusing on corporate hiring practices.
"We want employers to understand that the integrity of their employment records is just as important as their tax records," she said.
Arnold said Chipotle aims "to put the matter behind us" by cooperating with authorities to improve hiring and boosting participation in the E-verify system, which taps federal databases to check employees' work authorization.
Immigrants advocates said the drive will mean more poor workers will lose their jobs.
"While we're happy that high-profile raids have decreased, the government has shifted to another enforcement-only approach," Carl Bergquist of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles told the Times.
