The Newark office of the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, reported on Thursday that a total of $640,000 in fines have been levied against New Jersey business owners who have been caught employing the services of undocumented aliens in the last 10 months. The amount, the report said, is 15 times more than the fines levied in 2009.

This crack down on employers is a result of a new strategy to curb illegal immigration which aims to "punish business owners that knowingly hire illegal aliens" rather than round up these aliens and deport them one by one.

Immigration officials; believe that going after these employers is the best method to slow the influx of illegal immigrants who come to the country to work and make a living in the first place. So if there are no companies to hire them, they won't come at all.

"ICE is focused on building cases against egregious employers," Harold Ort, spokesman for ICE in Newark, said Wednesday. "ICE isn't just interested in numbers of arrests, but instead making arrest that count, and creating a culture of voluntary compliance among employers," Ort added.

"The integrity of their employment records is just as important to the federal government as the integrity of their tax files or banking records," Ort said.

While the ICE officials are reveling at this achievement, some pro-immigrant advocates express disgust in the ongoing crack down against immigrants, which will only get worse as soon as the Arizona anti-immigration law takes effect later this month.

Richard De Villa, of Greenville, thinks that this relentless harassment of immigrants does more harm than good and directly contradicts the very essence of the United States. "This over-zealousness to eradicate illegal immigrants is going against the very ideals that this nation is founded on," he said. "We are fast becoming the nations that we fought against in World War II."

But for Susan Tago, a teacher from Jersey City Heights, the whole crack down against illegal immigrants is but a show to please conservatives for the mid-term elections.

"We all know they can't really put a stop to this," Ms. Tagb said. "So they just come up with blazing headlines to let everyone know that they are doing their jobs and get votes."

"This is unacceptable," said Benny Lopez from Union City. "The government is making the American dream a nightmare for the families of these immigrants who cannot get work or do anything to become legalized and reunite with their families."

Despite this uproar, however, there are those who applaud the ICE for a job well done.

"What part of illegal immigration and illegal employment do they find hard to understand?" said Jacob Minzt of Jersey City. "No one is above the law in this country and that is the beauty of democracy. You break the law, you are out."

For Manhattan finance manager Jenna Curtis, however, it is as simple as knowing right and wrong. "You know that crossing the border is wrong and illegal. You know the hiring of undocumented aliens is wrong and illegal. So why do it?"

The process of auditing employers cracks down on the practice of hiring illegal aliens without the attention grabbing workplace raids that they utilized in the past. And it appears that this new method is paying dividends without courting a PR dilemma that could trigger mass actions. With this, the ICE is bent to continue in this path to win its battle against illegal immigration.

"No industry, regardless of size, type or location, is exempt," Ort added.

With the elections coming in November, the pressure builds up among the parties on to how to approach this burning immigration issue. President Obama openly challenged the constitutionality of the Arizona bill and hearings have been set this week. Likewise, he asked Congress to reintroduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would grant a path to citizenship to almost 12 million immigrants. Republicans, on the other hand remained steadfast in their belief in law enforcement and border security. They also maintain that at no given time should amnesty or an easy path to legalization be granted to law breakers.