Gov. Ferguson signs law requiring employers to notify workers of federal immigration workplace inspections
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Summary
Gov. Ferguson signed House Bill 2105, requested by the attorney general, requiring employers to notify workers within five days of receiving notice of federal immigration employment-eligibility inspections and to provide inspection results; it also prohibits voluntary consent to access worker records without subpoena or warrant except where federal law compels it.
Gov. Ferguson signed House Bill 2105 at a short ceremony, saying the legislation protects immigrant workers by ensuring notice and limiting employer cooperation with federal immigration authorities except when compelled by law.
The law requires employers to notify workers within five days after the employer receives notice that federal immigration authorities plan to conduct an employment-eligibility inspection and to provide the results of such inspections within five days after receiving them. It also bars employers from voluntarily consenting to federal agencies accessing or reviewing worker records without a subpoena or judicial warrant, ‘‘except when required by federal law,’’ the governor said.
The governor noted the bill was requested by the attorney general’s office (Nick Brown) and identified Rep. Lillian Ortiz Self as the bill’s prime sponsor and Sen. Rebecca Saldaña as the companion sponsor (the senator was not present). The bill was signed into law and photographed with sponsors and advocates; no legislative votes or roll-call details were discussed during the ceremony.
What happens next: Implementation and enforcement details, including any required employer guidance or penalty structure, were not specified at the event.