Crackdown On Illegal Workers Hits Chipotle

Restaurants and other foodservice operations are heeding a warning shot regarding their hiring practices. A federal investigation into the paperwork on Chipotle Mexican Grill’s immigrant labor force has forced the chain to fire hundreds of allegedly illegal employees in Minnesota. The Denver-based chain continues to be the target of an ongoing investigation into the hiring of undocumented workers in numerous states.

Under the Obama administration, immigration enforcement has shifted from sweeping raids to audits of employment eligibility verification forms, or I-9s. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the crackdown at Chipotle is meant to send a message to the entire restaurant industry that hiring practices can be subject to the same scrutiny as accounting practices.

It isn’t just Chipotle under the spotlight for hiring undocumented workers. Over the past four years, according to Reuters, there have been reports of arrests and deportations of undocumented workers at Krispy Kreme, Sizzler and McDonald’s franchise locations.