Judge Gives Calif. Employers ‘Breathing Room’ on Immigration

The space between a rock and a hard place may have just widened for employers in California.

Employers won’t be hit with hefty fines for cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agents without a subpoena or warrant, following a federal judge’s decision to temporarily block part of a state law under which companies could be fined. Also blocked is a separate provision preventing employers from reverifying the employment authorization of their workforce if not required by law.

At the same time, Judge John A. Mendez of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California shot down most of the ...