Obama's Conciliatory Immigration Stance

New president, new rules. While President Bush sought to crack down on illegal immigration with high-profile raids of companies suspected of hiring undocumented workers, President Obama has sought a far more conciliatory approach that uses fines and sanctions to influence companies. In one recent case, immigration authorities sent a notice to clothing manufacturer American Apparel that 1,800 of its employees appeared to be illegal immigrants and warned that the company faced civil penalties and would have to replace its illegal workers. Now the company has 30 days to either dispute the claims or fire the workers in question, but faces no criminal charges or raids.