Thread: State workers booked as illegal aliens

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 010/NEWS01

Originally published August 29, 2006
State workers booked as illegal aliens

By Chitra Subramanyam
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
U.S. Magistrate William C. Sherrill slowly read out the details of two criminal complaints against Felicita Cruz-Marquez and Floriberto Roblero-Salas on Monday.

He paused occasionally for the Spanish interpreter who translated the contents of the complaint that alleged that the two were unlawfully in the United States.

William Clark, federal defense attorney, said his clients were arrested on Aug. 26 at the Betty Easley Building in Tallahassee. The complaint, Clark said, noted that the arrests were a part of a routine search and investigation.

The two were a part of the cleaning crew, Clark said, working in the state building and had been working there for about a year. Cruz-Marquez is from Honduras and Roblero-Salas is from Mexico, he said.

The complaint also states that Cruz-Marquez was "an alien who had previously been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States" on Dec. 24, 1996. Roblero-Salas had been deported on Sept. 10, 2001. Both were ordered to be deported those times because they were in the country illegally.

There has been a gradual increase in such cases. Last week, six such cases were heard in the federal court after six Mexicans were arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The complaint had stated that they possessed fake immigration documents.

During Monday's hearing, Sherrill said that the two could face two years of imprisonment with a fine up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. The two waived their preliminary and detention hearings.

They remain in federal custody.

Contact reporter Chitra Subramanyam at (850) 599-2304 or csubramanyam
@tallahassee.com.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... -headlines

55 illegal state-office workers arrested in Tallahassee

The Associated Press
Posted August 30 2006, 6:27 PM EDT

TALLAHASSEE -- Federal agents have arrested 55 illegal aliens who were allegedly providing janitorial services in state government buildings, officials said Wednesday.

Each of the aliens hailed from either Mexico, Honduras or Guatemala, according to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials. The arrests were made Saturday.

Of those arrested, two face criminal charges for illegally re-entering the U.S. after being deported and another faces a charge of document fraud; all three of those individuals are in custody.

Officials said 21 others admitted that they were in the U.S. illegally and face imminent removal from the country, while 30 others face charges of violating the Immigration and Nationality Act.

All 55 worked for General Building Maintenance, Inc., a janitorial services company that is contracted by the state of Florida. Officials at GBM did not immediately return a call seeking comment late Wednesday afternoon.

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 20331/1010

Originally published September 2, 2006
Sting targeted critical sites
State: Immigrants had no 'ill intent'

By Chitra Subramanyam
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
The recent arrests of 55 people in Tallahassee were part of an ongoing operation to find illegal immigrants working in state buildings.

The individuals arrested Saturday worked for General Building Maintenance Inc., a janitorial services company contracted by the state. The arrests were part of a mission to focus investigations on critical infrastructure sites, said Barbara Gonzalez, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami.

There was no information, however, that the individuals arrested had "any ill intent," she said.

"The reason why these types of operations are important is because they (illegal immigrants) could be susceptible to blackmail from someone who could have ill intent," she said. "It is something we do every day in cities around the country."

But widespread immigration arrests are "rare for Tallahassee," said Neil St. John Rambana, an immigration attorney. Similar situations are usually seen where there are construction sites or farming areas, he said. The Tallahassee incident "screams that there is a problem right next to home," he said.

The Department for Management Services has asked GBM Inc. for reassurance and to restore its services by Tuesday, said Tiffany Kramer, DMS spokeswoman.

"They have to provide additional assurances over the background checks already completed over their statewide work force," she said.

Officials at GBM Inc. were unavailable for comment.

Alan Sprowls, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, wouldn't comment on whether GBM Inc. would face prosecution.

The operation led to the deportation of some of the illegal immigrants. Others were charged administratively for being in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Two were brought before the federal court Monday and face criminal prosecution.

The illegal immigrants who were arrested came from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala.

Among them was Rufino Alonso, a Mexican, who was going to marry Tommie Phelps, 30, from Tallahassee. Until last week, Phelps said she had a secure future. Now, she is saving up money to go to Mexico as soon as possible.

Phelps said she was at the Betty Easley Conference Center Saturday to pick up Alonso. She kept waiting, but he never came out. When she went looking for him, she was told he was being deported to Mexico.

"One minute was all I got to hug him and kiss him goodbye." she said. "I saw him handcuffed and shackled like a murderer. It was horrible. They treated them like evil criminals."

Phelps is in the process of moving out of her apartment. She got a phone call Wednesday. It was Alonso.

"He is now at his mother's house in Libre, Mexico," she said.

Contact reporter Chitra Subramanyam at (850) 599-2304 or csubramanyam@tallahassee.com.

During Monday's hearing, Sherrill said that the two could face two years of imprisonment with a fine up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. The two waived their preliminary and detention hearings.

How can they receive three years of supervised release? Wouldn't they be deported upon release from prison? I'm sure we're not going to supervise them in the home country.

Originally Posted by MW

During Monday's hearing, Sherrill said that the two could face two years of imprisonment with a fine up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. The two waived their preliminary and detention hearings.

How can they receive three years of supervised release? Wouldn't they be deported upon release from prison? I'm sure we're not going to supervise them in the home country.

MW, you'd think they'd be deported but with the idiots we have running the country, who knows?

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 60323/1010

Originally published September 16, 2006
11 immigrants plead not guilty

By Chitra Subramanyam
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Eleven illegal immigrants pleaded not guilty to various charges at a hearing in federal court Friday.

They were indicted by a grand jury earlier in the week on various charges. Three of the 11 were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Aug. 26 as part of an ongoing work-site enforcement operation to determine if illegal immigrants were working in state buildings.

Agents arrested 55 people who worked for General Building Maintenance Inc., a janitorial services company contracted by the state. Of those, 21 were deported and the remaining have been charged administratively.

Felicita Cruz-Marquez and Floriberto Roblero-Salas, former GBM Inc. employees, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. They were indicted for re-entering the country illegally after being deported.

Maria Torres-Hernandez was also a GBM Inc. employee, federal defense attorney William Clark said. She was indicted on five counts that included conspiring to obtain fake documents and possessing and selling fake immigration documents that included alien registration receipts, Forms I-551 and Social Security cards.

Attorneys have said such cases are unusual in Tallahassee. There has been a gradual increase in the number of arrests in Tallahassee.

At the hearing, Remigio Pena, a truck driver, was also indicted for possession of a forged form I-94, a document required for entry into and as evidence of authorized stay in the country.

Jose Garcia-Pass, a farm worker from Quincy, was charged with possession of a fake resident alien card.

Six others, who were arrested on Aug. 17, also appeared before Magistrate Judge William C. Sherrill.

Jose Munoz-Cabbaro, Miguel Diaz-Pimentel, Jaime Ambris Sebastian, Jose Duarte Sanchez and Sergio Hernandez-Hernandez were arrested at the Marcus Meadows trailer park on West Tennessee Street; Juan Ramirez-Juarez was arrested the same day at a Wal-Mart.

Ramirez-Juarez was charged with possession of a forged permanent resident card. The remaining were charged with possessing a forged resident alien card.

If convicted, the six could face 10 years in prison with a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.

Contact reporter Chitra Subramanyam at (850) 599-2304 or csubramanyam@tallahassee.com.