Houston-based Tree Company Pays $2 Million Fine for Hiring Illegal-Alien Workers

ABC Professional Tree Services, based in Houston, Texas, has agreed to pay $2 million in fines after a Department of Homeland Security investigation found that the company had been hiring illegal-alien workers. DHS found that 30% of the company’s workforce was made up of illegal aliens. The company agreed to pay the fines in lieu of criminal charges.

The company does business in more than a dozen states, and the DHS investigation found that they used illegal workers from 2005-2011.

The DHS investigation targeted the company’s employees through traffic stops and audited its employee records. DHS said the company had ignored a federal law requiring businesses to determine if paperwork provided by new employees was genuine.

Since the investigation began, ABC Professional Tree Service has started using E-Verify.