Hood to decide if Howard Industries broke Miss. law
Attorney General Jim Hood’s office is determining whether a new state law was violated by Howard Industries in Laurel, the site of the largest workplace immigration raid in U.S. history.
“We’ll look at what they’ve done and determine if it’s a violation of state law, as well as determine if we need to enforce it,” Hood told The Associated Press.
The law passed by the 2008 Legislature and signed by Gov. Haley Barbour requires public and private employers in the state to use the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system to check new workers’ immigration status.
The law took effect July 1 for state agencies and for private businesses with state contracts. It takes effect Jan. 1 for all other businesses.
Under the new law, any company found guilty of employing illegal immigrants could lose public contracts for up to three years and lose the right to do business in Mississippi for one year.
The law also says it’s a felony for an illegal immigrant to accept a job in Mississippi.
Conviction carries up to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The agencies in charge of enforcement of the law are the Department of Employment Security, Mississippi State Tax Commission, Department of Human Services, secretary of state and attorney general.
“Our folks have tried to get a meeting of all those agencies that have authority,” Hood said this week.
Clarion Ledger
9/5/8
Magnolia Tribune
