What is the responsibility of a franchisor to ensure its franchisees operate legally? Does the FCPA apply to franchises? These are but two of the questions that many U.S. franchisors may be thinking about a bit more today than they were yesterday in light of the reported raids by agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of 7-Eleven stores across the country, looking for undocumented workers. The parent franchisor attempted to distance itself from the entire imbroglio by releasing a statement that “7-Eleven Franchisees are independent business owners and are solely responsible for their employees including deciding who to hire and verifying their eligibility to work in the United States.”
