Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop conducting workplace raids to arrest immigrants lacking work authorization. 

The problem lies with “exploitative employers,” not unauthorized workers problem, Mayorkas said in a October 12 memorandum.  

“Under the previous administration, these resource-intensive operations resulted in the simultaneous arrest of hundreds of workers,” Mayorkas wrote. While the raids attracted media attention, DHS says they “were used as a tool by exploitative employers to suppress and retaliate against workers’ assertion of labor laws.” 

The announcement marks a shift in strategy by the Biden administration that emphasizes going after businesses and employers that violate labor laws, rather than employees who may lack legal status.