Colorado businesses facing $8 million in fines for employment law violations, including hiring unauthorized migrant workers — but here’s why undocumented workers are paying the highest price

“The employment of unauthorized workers undermines the integrity of our immigration system and puts law-abiding employers at a disadvantage,” he said.

The agency announced the fines publicly on X.

Who was fined and why

ICE said CCS Denver, Inc. — a commercial cleaning and facility maintenance company — knowingly hired and employed at least 87 unauthorized workers. It faces the largest fine: $6.19 million.

According to ICE, Denver's PBC Commercial Cleaning Systems, Inc. demonstrated “a pattern of knowingly employing at least 12 unauthorized workers.” It was fined nearly $1.6 million.

Green Management Denver was fined $270,195 after ICE identified 44 unauthorized employees.

ICE said its enforcement actions follow workplace audits. John Fabbricatore, a former field office director for ICE. said such audits have been going on for decades.

“They performed an I-9 audit in which they found multiple Social Security number (probably) mismatches and no matches,” Fabbricatore told Fox31.

“So, they went through with a civil violation of that and fined these companies for employing people who are unlawfully present in the United States and unauthorized to work (there).”

Undocumented workers pay a price

While the businesses face financial consequences from such audits, undocumented workers pay a high price on the job. Here's how they're typically impacted.

Wage theft

When employers knowingly hire unauthorized workers, they sometimes exploit that status to skirt labor laws, resulting in wage theft.