Colorado janitorial companies fined by ICE for hiring at least 143 unauthorized workers

Three janitorial companies were hit with more than $8 million in proposed fines from federal immigration authorities for employing at least 143 unauthorized workers. The penalties appear to be the largest such fines levied anywhere in the U.S. since President Donald Trump took office earlier this year.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the fines in a press release this week saying that workplace audits “uncovered widespread employment eligibility violations.”

“The employment of unauthorized workers undermines the integrity of our immigration system and puts law-abiding employers at a disadvantage,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen, in a press release. “These penalties reinforce our commitment to uphold the law and promote a culture of compliance.”

Two of the three companies could not be located by CPR News, using internet and business records searches. ICE did not respond to a request for additional comment.

• CCS Denver, Inc. was fined $6.2 million for hiring at least 87 unauthorized workers. When contacted by phone, they refused to make anyone available for comment.
• PSC Commercial Cleaning Services, Inc. was fined $1.6 million for employing at least 12 unauthorized workers, according to ICE. CPR News could not find a business under that name registered in Colorado. Calls to companies with similar sounding names were not returned or disconnected numbers.
• Green Management Denver: fined $270,195 for employing 44 unauthorized employees. A company matching that name was registered to do business in Colorado in 2014, but is listed as delinquent since 2022, and no phone number or contact information could be located.

The press release from ICE said it conducted audits of Form I-9, “Employment Eligibility Verification,” which ICE says every business must complete for every individual that is hired.

Businesses have been required to verify immigration status since the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) signed by Ronald Regan in 1986. ICE agents have regularly audited those records under both Democratic and Republican administrations, but the Trump administration has promised to ramp up enforcement.

I-9 audits are a more common tactic than workplace raids. Agents identify a company and subpoena them for I-9 forms and any supporting documents that were presented prior to employment, like green cards, a driver’s license or employment authorization document. 

According to a post from Littler, an employment law firm, I-9 compliance enforcement reached an all-time high during the previous Trump administration, growing from 5,981 I-9 audits in fiscal year 2018 to 6,450 audits in 2019. ICE had a goal for up to 15,000 audits in 2020 before the COVID pandemic curtailed those efforts.

In a post on X on Tuesday marking Trump’s first 100 days in office, ICE boasted of “$1M+ in fines against businesses that exploit and hire illegal workers.” This action in Colorado then, totalling more than $8 million, would be the largest fines levied since Trump took office in January. 

In Dec. 2024, Tom Homan, then the deputy director of ICE, now the Trump’s “border czar,” said in December he wanted to increase worksite immigration operations by 400 percent. 

“We’re not just talking about arresting the aliens at these work sites, we are also talking about employers who knowingly hire people who are unauthorized to work,” Homan said according to CNN. 

The I-9 workforce audits are just one part of a multipronged offensive by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration. A strategy that is playing out across Colorado. Since Trump took office, Fort Carson troops have been deployed to increase border security; ICE, DEA and FBI agents have conducted raids of apartment complexes and after-hours parties, detaining and deporting criminal defendants awaiting trial and sweeping up many noncriminals, some with legitimate asylum claims.