US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents blitzed dozens of 7-Eleven stores before dawn Wednesday to interview employees and deliver audit notifications, carrying out what the agency said was the largest operation targeting an employer since President Trump took office.
ICE said its agents showed up at 98 stores and made 21 arrests, describing the operation as a warning to other companies who may have unauthorized workers on their payroll.
‘‘Today’s actions send a strong message to US businesses that hire and employ an illegal workforce: ICE will enforce the law, and if you are found to be breaking the law, you will be held accountable,’’ said Thomas Homan, the agency’s top official, in a statement.
Homan characterized the operation as a new front in the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown and its effort to increase deportations. ICE agents have made 40 percent more arrests in the past year.
‘‘Businesses that hire illegal workers are a pull factor for illegal immigration, and we are working hard to remove this magnet,’’ Homan’s statement said. ‘‘ICE will continue its efforts to protect jobs for American workers by eliminating unfair competitive advantages for companies that exploit illegal immigration.’’
ICE said it sent agents Wednesday to deliver audit notifications and conduct interviews at 6 a.m., temporarily shutting down 7-Eleven stores in Washington, D.C., and 17 states: California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.
The 7-Eleven company has more than 60,000 stores worldwide, according to its website. In a statement, it said it was not responsible for the hiring decisions of individual franchise owners.
‘‘7-Eleven franchisees are independent business owners and are solely responsible for their employees, including deciding who to hire and verifying their eligibility to work in the United States,’’ the company said in an e-mailed statement.
ICE described Wednesday’s sweep as a follow-up enforcement operation that built on a 2013 raid resulting in the arrests of nine 7-Eleven franchise owners and managers. They were charged with ‘‘conspiring to commit wire fraud, stealing identities, and concealing and harboring illegal aliens employed at their stores,’’ according to the agency.
ICE said all but one pleaded guilty and were ordered to pay more than $2.6 million in back wages to workers.
Last year, ICE said it conducted 1,360 employee audits, making more than 300 arrests on criminal and administrative violations. Businesses were ordered to pay $97.6 million in judicial forfeiture, fines, and restitution, the agency said, and $7.8 million in civil fines.
‘‘We are going to be doing more of this work and dedicating more resources to make sure businesses are complying with the law,’’ said Dani Bennett, an ICE spokeswoman. ‘‘This is a demonstration of our commitment to enforcing the law.’’
