Illegal Immigrant Crackdown

El Paso - - - There's a new target in the battle against illegal immigration. President Obama is focusing less on the immigrants and more on the businesses that hire them.

Ben Swann is live on 9 in the NewsCenter with the story.

President Obama is pushing tonight to crack down on people who hire illegal immigrants.

Illegal border crossings are way down this year. That may be in part because of the economy. There is less work available for illegals in our country.

But millions of undocumented workers remain in the U.S. and the president is attempting to do something about it by investigating businesses across the country.

ICE agents have begun notifying employers of plans to audit the eligibility documents businesses fill out for every worker.

Homeland Security is not identifying the names or locations of the businesses.

Just two days ago, President Obama authorized the use of 1,500 National Guard volunteers on our border with Mexico. They will be used for surveillance and intelligence work.

The unarmed guardsmen will be deployed in all four states bordering Mexico. The crackdown on illegal hiring is part of a broader strategy aimed at getting Congress to pass immigration reform. Some members of Congress emerged from a recent meeting with Obama saying such a measure could pass by the end of the year.

Live in the NewsCenter, Ben Swann, NewsChannel 9.