COLUMBIA (WACH) -- A popular Mexican restaurant in Columbia is being forced to close its doors for repeated violations of illegal immigration laws according to the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
Monterrey Mexican Restaurant on Killian Rd. must close for 10 days after being accused of repeatedly violating the South Carolina Illegal Immigration Reform Act. This is the first closure in South Carolina under the act.
“In this economy, we need to ensure that every available job is held by an employee who is legally in this country and authorized to work,” LLR Director Catherine Templeton said. “Employers who choose to ignore the requirements of the state immigration law in their hiring practices will be penalized.”
The suspension of the restaurant's business license comes after an investigation last October when it was notified that management had to fire four of the five employees because they were not legal citizens of the U.S. During a follow-up investigation in November LLR hired five new workers without verifying their employment eligibility.
The restaurant agreed to pay a fine and fire all unauthorized workers in January. During an unannounced audit in March four more unverified workers were found.
LLR says if the restaurant violates the order the agency will suspend its business license for five years.
Since the law went into effect on July 1, 2009, LLR has audited 5,800 businesses and issued citations to 500 employers for violations related to employment verification. Click here to find out which restaurants were cited.
Other locations of Monterrey remain open.
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