California is ground-zero for immigration battle and employers are stuck in the middle

California’s Immigrant Worker Protection Act became effective January 1, 2018.  The law, set forth in AB 450, requires, among other items, employers to verify that immigration officials have a judicial warrant or subpoena prior to entering the workplace and for employers to provide notice to employees if there has been a request to review the employer’s immigration documents, such as Form I-9s.  The new law puts employers in a difficult situation of having to comply with federal immigration law obligations on one hand and state law requirements on the other, with large penalties that could result for violations of either law.