Site Secure: Practical Steps to Protect Your Workforce During Immigration Enforcement

Description

AGC MA is happy to welcome Philip Bauknight and Brian Coughlin from Fisher & Phillips for an in-person session designed to equip general contractors and commercial construction leaders with a practical, plain-English playbook for preparing for and managing immigration enforcement at the worksite. We will cover how to build and enforce a clear company policy, train frontline staff and supervisors on how to respond if agents arrive, establish a communication chain, and designate an on-site point person.

Attendees will learn best practices for distinguishing private from public areas on the jobsite, requesting and reviewing judicial warrants, safeguarding employee rights while avoiding obstruction, and recording enforcement activity.

We will also discuss how strong Form I-9 compliance can reduce enforcement risk, how ICE uses I-9 inspections as a precursor to raids, and why tying these protocols to existing OSHA safety leadership and procedures creates a cohesive culture of preparedness. This is a practical, real-world session designed to help contractors keep operations compliant, workers protected, and projects moving when enforcement pressure rises.

About the Speakers
Phil Bauknight represents and serves as trusted counsel for employers in a broad range of employment, business, and labor issues. As part of his practice, Phil handles OSHA and workplace safety matters across the country. He routinely helps clients contest and litigate OSHA citations and has experience representing employers during OSHA inspections and investigations, conducting OSHA compliance audits, and defending whistleblower/retaliation claims as well as providing OSHA compliance counseling to clients.
 
Phil’s litigation practice covers a broad range of employment law, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, CEPA, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the New York City Human Rights Law, the New York State Human Rights Law, and other federal and state anti-discrimination and whistleblower laws.  Phil also has extensive experience managing complex business and employment disputes. He is a skilled advocate, litigator, and counselor who is devoted to reaching efficient and practical solutions to real-world problems.

Brian Coughlin has more than twenty years of experience advising businesses on immigration issues including employment authorization, corporate policy drafting, employee training, and regulatory enforcement and compliance. He also counsels employers on immigration-related due diligence issues, helping to manage risk in connection with business combinations, restructuring, and startups. Brian assists clients in preparing employment-based and family-based immigrant petitions, U.S. lawful permanent residence processing, and all categories of nonimmigrant visas.
 
Brian is committed to the use of innovative technology and business processes to streamline his practice and create solutions to challenging legal and case production issues. He represents clients across all industries, including engineering services, management and IT consulting, automotive, manufacturing, logistics and travel, biotech, communications technology, and media. Brian’s clients range from small, venture-backed start-ups to some of the world’s largest corporate employers.