U.S. planning illegal worker raids

WASHINGTON , Aug. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials are planning a crackdown on employers who hire illegal immigrants, the New York Times said Wednesday.

While immigration reform is snarled in Congress, the newspaper said the agency is poised to announce the initiative formulated under existing immigration law this week. The measure includes raids on workplaces and hefty fines.

"We are tough and we are going to be even tougher," department spokesman Russ Knocke told the Times. "There are not going to be any more excuses for employers, and there will be serious consequences for those that choose to blatantly disregard the law."

Illegal immigrants often provide false Social Security numbers to employers, and the agency said many employers routinely ignore letters pointing out mismatched names and numbers.

The regulations would give employers a fixed period to resolve discrepancies. If they can't or don't, they will be obliged to fire the illegal worker or face up to a $10,000 fine, the newspaper said.