Raymond dairy workers charged with immigration violations

Clay Chandler, The Clarion-Ledger1:05 p.m. CDT June 1, 2015

Nine people identified by the Mississippi Attorney General's Office as undocumented immigrants have been arrested at a Raymond dairy.

The arrests took place Thursday at American DairyCo. They were the result of an investigation by the attorney general's consumer protection division, with assistance from the federal Homeland Security Investigations, according to a joint press release. Those arrested are charged with purchasing fraudulent Social Security cards.

Those charged were:
Eduardo Lopez-Cardona, 22
Irvin Mejia-Saavedra, 26
Ramiro Saniago-Monilo, 25
Guillermo Garcia-Cruz, 39
Ludin Maudiel Hernandez-Vasquez, 25
Porfirio Rodriguez-Jimenez , 37
Elvir Molina-Ramirez , 40
Carlos Benigno Garcia-Perez, 20
Juan Jose Chacon-Ramirez, 34

The defendants were booked into the Raymond Detention Center and are being held on a $250,000 bond. Once the state charges are resolved, the defendants will be released to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

"This case is a great example of the significance of our federal partnerships," Attorney General Jim Hood said in a statement.

"We appreciate our great working relationship with Homeland Security Investigations".

Authorities said American DairyCo officials cooperated with the investigation. A message left with the company's corporate office in Jacksonville, Florida, was not immediately returned Monday morning.

"Fraudulent documents threaten our nation's security by making it easier for criminals to hide in plain sight and commit a range of offenses," said Jerry Templet, acting deputy special agent in charge of the Homeland Security office in New Orleans. "Further, stolen identity documents create a potential nightmare scenario in which citizens could be held responsible for criminal acts committed by aliens possessing fraudulent identity documents in their names. This investigation shows HSI and its state partners will continue to investigate and seek prosecution of these cases wherever they occur."

Contact Clay Chandler at (601) 961-7264 or cchandler@jackson.gannett.com.

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