On Thursday, November 19, ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton announced that the agency was issuing Notices of Inspection to 1000 employers across the country. In the News Release, Morton stated: "ICE is focused on finding and penalizing employers who believe they can unfairly get ahead by cultivating illegal workplaces . . . We are increasing criminal and civil enforcement of immigration-related employment laws and imposing smart, tough employer sections to even the playing field for employers who play by the rules." The employers selected for this round of enforcement were chosen because of their connection to "critical infrastructure" and based upon investigative leads and intelligence.