Obama's 'Silent' Workplace Raids Are a Joke

The Obama administration's new approach to dealing with companies that hire illegal immigrants results in firings, not deportations, Fox News has confirmed.

Instead of immigration sweeps at factories and farms which used to lead to illegal workers being shipped out of the country, the administration’s new policy—government conducted audits labeled “silent raids” by employers—usually only result in the workers losing their jobs.

News of the policy change, which was first reported by The New York Times on Friday, comes just over a week after the president delivered his highly anticipated speech on immigration reform, which was criticized on both ends of the political spectrum.

Since Obama took office, the Department of Homeland Security has audited more than 2,785 employers suspected of hiring illegal laborers, compared to 500 audits in all of 2008, according to Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Agency, known as ICE.

The Obama administration has debarred 105 companies and 81 individuals and issued more than $6.4 million in fines, he said.