The operator of three Anne Arundel County-owned golf courses said it has complied with federal laws on hiring immigrants and will provide proof this week, despite doubts from county officials who say the operator could be the first victim of the county’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.
“We’re all on the same page, finalizing details that ultimately establishes our firm is in compliance with the law,” said Rich Katz, vice president of Vienna, Va.-based Billy Casper Golf.
The company operates Eisenhower Golf Course in Crownsville, Compass Pointe Golf Course in Pasadena and Chesapeake Golf Club in Lusby.
County police received a tip in July that some employees at the Compass Pointe course were illegal immigrants.
Investigators have met with company officials twice, but no documents have been produced, officials said.
The company was to meet with county officials either Wednesday or today to provide documentation on its employees’ immigration status.
While police said Wednesday that Billy Casper was cooperating, other county officials said the company hired illegal immigrants.
“The question now remains: Did Billy Casper do the due diligence in getting the right identification?” said Dennis Callahan, the county’s chief administrative officer.
County Executive John R. Leopold issued an executive order in 2007 requiring all businesses working for the county to comply with federal immigration rules or face having their contracts terminated.
Billy Casper is the first company to test the executive order, officials said.
In an Aug. 1 letter sent to county attorney Jonathan Hodgson, Billy Casper’s senior vice president Joseph Livingood said an audit of the federal I-9 forms required by all hired immigrants showed
that “each of the employees did in fact present acceptable and appropriate documentation establishing their identity and employment eligibility in the United States.”
But Livingood conceded the company met with its employees after the investigation started to discuss the I-9 forms, and afterward some left “of their own volition.” He added that former employees were legal.
Callahan said some illegal employees may have provided the golf company with forged documents.
County officials said they would not hesitate to terminate the contract with Billy Casper if the company knowingly hired illegals.
But Livingood said in his letter “that it is unlawful for an employer to question or go beyond the presented I-9 documentation so long as that documentation does … appear valid.”
