Immigration officials round up undocumented workers

[peejay 327]

Immigration officials round up undocumented workers

(4/19/06 - HOUSTON) - Immigration agents arrested seven executives and hundreds of employees of a manufacturer of crates and pallets Wednesday as part of a crackdown on employers of illegal workers.

Authorities raided offices and plants of IFCO Systems in at least nine states, the culmination of a yearlong criminal investigation, law enforcement officials said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested seven current and former IFCO Systems managers on charges they conspired to transport, harbor and encourage illegal workers to reside in the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain, said Glenn T. Suddaby, the chief federal prosecutor in Albany, N.Y., where some arrests were made.

ICE spokeswoman Jamie Zuieback confirmed an unspecified number of raids and arrests, but declined to provide additional details because the investigation was continuing. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity because numbers were still being tallied, said the arrests were in the hundreds.

Raids took place at several locations in upstate New York and in Biglerville, Pa., Charlotte, N.C., Cincinnati, Houston, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Richmond, Va., and Westborough, Mass.

"ICE has no tolerance for corporate officers who harbor illegal aliens for their work force. Today's nationwide enforcement actions show how we will use all our investigative tools to bring these individuals to justice, no matter how large or small their company," said ICE chief Julie Myers.

She and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff are expected on Thursday to lay out an immigration enforcement strategy that targets employers' disregard for immigration law.

Last week, operators of three restaurants in Baltimore pleaded guilty to similar immigration charges, while nine people affiliated with two temporary employment agencies that do business in New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania were charged in a $5.3 million scheme involving the employment and harboring of illegal aliens.

Several immigration proposals pending in Congress would stiffen penalties against employers who hire illegal immigrants.

German-based IFCO Systems describes itself as the leading pallet services company in the United States, focusing on recycling millions of the wooden platforms used to stack and move all manner of goods. It operates about five dozen facilities nationwide and has been expanding steadily, according to the company's Web site.

IFCO Systems acknowledged that a number of employees were detained Wednesday and pledged to cooperate with the investigation.

"It is our policy to comply with all federal and state employment requirements," the company said in a statement.

In Houston, Jose Rivera, an immigrant from El Salvador, went to one of the company's Houston operations to search for information about his 22-year-old son, an IFCO Systems employee who was arrested Wednesday. Rivera said a brother, who worked at an IFCO operation in Louisiana, also was arrested Wednesday.

"I really feel angry because this is an injustice," he said through a translator. "It's an injustice because one person, who come from another country, why can't you work?"

Rivera said his son has worked for IFCO for about a year and a half.

The current and former IFCO Systems managers arrested were identified by Suddaby as: Michael Ames, 44, Shrewsbury, Mass.; Robert Belvin, 43, Clifton Park, N.Y.; Abelino Chicas, 40, Houston; Scott Dodge, 43, Albany; William Hoskins, 29, Cincinnati; James Rice, 36, Houston, and Dario Salzano, 36, Amsterdam, N.Y.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=4092033

http://www.click2houston.com/news/8826281/detail.html

What's up with this? Is this company owned by Democrats? With so many violators to choose from in Houston (and nationwide), why pick on these guys? Maybe the Bush administration has a ####### for German owned companies? Are the French next? Who knows?

I personally think it is a propaganda campaign by the Bush administration and Congress to try to bamboozle the American public into thinking that after 20 years they are finally serious about enforcing EXISTING laws and that we should trust them to enforce this proposed guestworker/amnesty sham reform they so want for their benefactors in corporate America. The American people are highly skeptical of the Federal government...especially after the big lie of the Immigration Reform and Contol Act of 1986 amnesty. And we should be!

Undocumented workers? I'm sure their pockets are full of counterfeit documents they use to get the employers off the hook when they hire them. Arrests do not = convictions.

Dozens of illegal immigrants arrested, released in hours

08:01 AM CDT on Thursday, April 20, 2006

By Vicente Arenas / 11 News

There was a crackdown Wednesday and dozens of illegal immigrants were arrested. Many of those same immigrants were released just hours later. It was the last thing they, and their families, expected. "They are not criminals. All they're here for is to work for their family," said Mariz Gomez.

And that's what they were doing making wooden pallets at two different locations when federal agents swooped in and took nearly 70 suspected undocumented workers to this federal detention center in north Houston.

"Just for them to come in here and to just throw them back to where they go. That's not right for them," said Gomez.

Families 11 News spoke with feared the men mostly from Central American countries would be deported.

But that was hardly the case. Just five hours later Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents began releasing the undocumented workers. "I was surprised by the quick release," said a man who asked that his face not be shown. Several others made the same request.

It is not clear why these immigrants were released so quickly but workers say it may be because the 950-bed facility was severely overcrowded.

The workers say they were told the facilities were full. Sources inside the facility say the same thing and that agents have been ordered to release immigrants as soon as possible.

Some of the workers say there were other problems Wednesday.

They said computers went down and agents had to scribble information, in one case, failing to write in a court date altogether.

The men we spoke with promised to show up for their immigration hearings, still finding it hard to believe they were released so soon.

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/kho...n.5102fc8f.html

And apparently arrests don't lead to deportations either! Yea...right...they will all show up religiously for hearings that will eventually lead to their certain deportation. They will just abscond and get another job illegally somewhere else in America. What a farce! Totally bogus! It is delusional to believe that granting another amnesty lie again is a solution. We need HR4437...not amnesties. The illegals protest against HR4437 because it will put an end to these stupid games.

I do not even debate this stuff anymore. I made up my mind on this issue long ago. I just post it FYI.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

With so many violators to choose from in Houston (and nationwide), why pick on these guys?

Why not? Illegal is illegal, or is Mexican more illegal than German?

[Jasman0717 9]

With so many violators to choose from in Houston (and nationwide), why pick on these guys?

Why not? Illegal is illegal, or is Mexican more illegal than German?

ditto - It is illegal to hire undocumented workers and the USCIS does the same thing in California, Colorado Delaware...well, maybe not Delaware

[Jaylen Brit 0]

I'm glad to see they prosecuting COMPANIES who employ illegal workers (and likely pay them less wages without benefits) - whoever OWNS the company - American or not - knows very well its illegal to employ workers without paperwork (its the same in every counrty not just the USA) - yet they continue to do it - perpetuating the problem. Maybe they just like the idea of a virtual slave labor force?

[tweety 1]

peejay Posted Today, 08:40 AM

.... I personally think it is a propaganda campaign by the Bush administration and Congress to try to bamboozle the American public into thinking that after 20 years they are finally serious about enforcing EXISTING laws and that we should trust them to enforce this proposed guestworker/amnesty sham reform they so want for their benefactors in corporate America. The American people are highly skeptical of the Federal government...especially after the big lie of the Immigration Reform and Contol Act of 1986 amnesty. And we should be! ....

I personally would rather like to see a guestworker program than an amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants (which are criminals in my eyes). And I am more than happy to see that the government is finally waking up to do what they are supposed to do. Well, it happens to be a Germany based company - so what.... I don't think they picked it out of the pile simply because it was foreign owned. I think you read too much into it.

[desert_fox 32]

I think that the american ppl want the ICE to enforce laws that are already on the books.

Amnesty would only kick off another wave of illegal entrants that will sit it out again until there would be another amnesty.

[Sister Fracas 5]

With so many violators to choose from in Houston (and nationwide), why pick on these guys?

Why not? Illegal is illegal, or is Mexican more illegal than German?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

And I am more than happy to see that the government is finally waking up to do what they are supposed to do.

I think it's more along the lines that the gov't wants the people to believe that it is doing what it is supposed to do so that the people will have faith and trust that the amnesty that will come upon us will not be followed by "more of the same" in the years down the road. Of course, history teaches us that the coming amnesty (oh yeah, it's coming) will be followed by more illegal entries and more amnesties down the road.

I heard on the news this morning that Chertoff is going public later today with a plan to crack down and get tough on illegal employment. They know that's the missing piece in reaching the amnesty deal. It's a PR stunt, folks. A cheap scam. A 419. Nothing more.

Edited April 20, 2006 by ET-US2004

[almaty 19]

I think that the american ppl want the ICE to enforce laws that are already on the books.

Amnesty would only kick off another wave of illegal entrants that will sit it out again until there would be another amnesty.

i agree with you Fox...