Thread: 15 illegal aliens arrested at BP

15 illegal aliens arrested at BP
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December 11, 2008

By Andy Grimm
Post-Tribune staff writer

WHITING -- Immigration officials arrested 15 members of a cleaning crew at the BP?refinery in an ongoing investigation of illegal workers at an Illinois janitorial services company.
The workers were employees of United Building Maintenance?Inc., a Carol Stream, Ill., company, that was hired for janitorial services at the plant, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.

The Web site for UBM?states the company is "the largest Hispanic owned and operated facility maintenance company in the Midwest." Two UBM?employees, Herminia Najera-Flores and Ramon Aviles-Cano, were arrested earlier this year and have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in federal court.

Authorities began investigating after receiving a tip that undocumented workers were employed by UBM and had access to sensitive areas of the plant, which is considered "critical infrastructure" by Homeland Security officials.

BP?officials, cooperating with ICE?investigators, determined early on that the workers posed no security threat, BP spokesman Scott Dean said.

"There is a serious public safety concern when illegal aliens, who are not authorized to work in the country legally, are working in secure areas of one of our nation's largest oil refineries," said Gary Hartwig, special agent-in-charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Chicago in a news release.

"While there is no reason to believe that these individuals had ill intent against our country, their illegal status represents a significant vulnerability in our national security."

The workers, 14 Mexicans and one Guatemalan, were placed under "administrative arrest" in Chicago and will be held pending deportation preceedings, ICE?spokeswoman Gail Montenegro said. Those who are parents of young children or sole caregivers may be released while their cases move forward, Montenegro said.

ICE officials are reviewing each case and may file criminal charges.

Rev. Steve Gibson of St. Mary Church in East Chicago, a predominantly Latino parish just south of the BP refinery on Indianapolis Boulevard, said several parishioners were among those arrested. None had returned home as of Wednesday evening, he said. There were 11 women among those arrested and nearly all had young children, Gibson said.

"I?had to arrange for the children to be picked up from school today,"?Gibson said. "With the number of immigrants in this area, you go two weeks before Christmas and pick up a bunch of young mothers?

"If they were investigating this for two years, then arbitrariness of the timing of these arrests is just stunning."

Z. James Prokulewicz, vice president of UBM, declined comment Wednesday, but said company officials believed all 15 workers were legal residents.

"We're all sitting here scratching our heads about all this,"?Prokulewicz said.

Dean said BP?officials will have a "difficult conversation"?with UBM?managers today.

"BP?prides itself on being a diverse employer, we often look for minority contractors and businesses to do business with,"?Dean said.

During fiscal year 2008, ICE made 5,173 administrative immigration arrests at work sites nationally. In addition, 1,101 criminal arrests were made in connection with work site investigations.


Contact Andy Grimm at 648-3073 or agrimm@post-trib.com. Comment on this story at www.post-trib.com

http://www.post-trib.com/news/1325690,bpraid.article

"BP prides itself on being a diverse employer, we often look for minority contractors and businesses to do business with," Dean said.

I think it's time for Americans that are out of work to start suing these companies blind

ICE Crackdown In Northwest Indiana
Produced by Michael Puente on Thursday, December 11, 2008


Catholic church officials in Northwest Indiana are decrying the arrests of 15 undocumented immigrants.They say the action is causing hardship for families so close to the holidays.

Reverend Stephen Gibson says those arrested worked as janitors at the BP Refinery in Whiting.

Gibson is pastor at St. Mary’s Church in East Chicago.

He says he’s now helping to arrange child care for many of the arrested workers, most of whom live in the Whiting-East Chicago area.

GIBSON: Two weeks before Christmas they decided to round up 13 parents.

A BP spokesman says the refinery cooperated fully with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, on the action.BP contracted with United Building Maintenance of west suburban Carol Stream to provide janitorial services.

Officials with the firm could not be reached for comment.Although roundups have occurred elsewhere in Indiana, yesterday's was the first such action by ICE in northwest Indiana in recent years.
http://www.wbez.org/Content.aspx?audioID=30795

BP immigration defendants get continuances
January 22, 2009 8:44 PM | No Comments

All five people jailed after an immigration raid on a BP Whiting refinery in December will remain jailed for several more days, the Northwest Indiana Times reports.

At the request of defense lawyers for the five people charged criminally with illegal entry and concealment of their illegal status, Hammond federal Magistrate Judge Andrew P. Rodovich continued all five cases today. Arraignments and detention hearings for three of the defendants were rescheduled to Feb. 5. Hearings for two other defendants were rescheduled to Jan. 30.

Jim Foster, a lawyer for two of the defendants, asked for the continuance because his clients speak little English, and he has had trouble getting immigration documents he needs for the detention hearings, he said. Kerry Connor, a lawyer for one of the other defendants, declined to explain why she requested the continuance.

www.chicagobreakingnews.com

Four more expected to plea guilty in immigration case
BY DAN HINKEL
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 | (No comments posted.)

Lawyers expect plea agreements in the cases of four defendants who still face criminal charges from the federal immigration raid at the BP Whiting Refinery in December.

Papers have been filed in Hammond federal court notifying Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich of impending plea agreements in the cases of Maria Patricia Pareja-Cali, Rosa Alicia Fernandez-Arevalos and Roman Torrano-Ramirez.

In the case of the fourth defendant, Ricardo Cisneros-Estrada, attorney Adam Tavitas said he has submitted his client's signed plea agreement to the Hammond-based U.S. attorney's office.

Resolution of the criminal charges could lead to the defendants being released from jail.

The defendants have been incarcerated since Dec. 10, while the people who were not criminally charged were released on electronic monitored house arrest pending civil immigration hearings that could lead to deportation.

Attorneys Tavitas, Arlington J. Foley and Jim Foster said they expect their four clients' plea agreements will resemble the agreement for fellow defendant Mario Lanuza.

Rodovich sentenced Lanuza on Thursday to time already served. Lanuza pleaded guilty to illegally entering the country, a misdemeanor, and the U.S. attorney's office dropped a charge of falsely claiming citizenship. Lanuza has agreed to cooperate with the federal government's investigations.

After his sentencing hearing, Lanuza was transferred into the custody of immigration authorities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Gail Montenegro could not say Monday -- the federal Presidents Day holiday -- whether Lanuza had been released on electronic monitoring.

All the immigrants are linked to St. Mary Church in East Chicago. The Rev. Steve Gibson said he believes the civil immigration process could end without the deportation of his parishioners.

"I'm confident because of the prayers and the goodwill and the trust in human nature," Gibson said.

The immigrants were contractors for a janitorial firm, not BP employees.

www.thetimesonline.com

Second man sentenced to time served in BP raid case


BY DAN HINKEL
dhinkel@nwitimes.com
219.852.4317 | Monday, February 23, 2009 | (15 comment(s))

HAMMOND | Another man jailed after the BP Whiting refinery immigration raid in December has been sentenced to time already served and turned over to civil immigration authorities.

Mexican citizen Roman Torrano-Ramirez, 49, admitted Monday in Hammond federal court he overstayed a six-month visa granted for a visit in 1993. As part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to eluding inspection by immigration officers. The U.S. attorney's office dismissed a charge of using a false Social Security number. Torrano-Ramirez has agreed to cooperate with federal investigations.

Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich sentenced Torrano-Ramirez to time already served since being jailed in the Dec. 10 raid. Rodovich ordered Torrano-Ramirez transferred into the custody of civil immigration authorities. Torrano-Ramirez will face immigration hearings that could lead to his deportation.

Torrano-Ramirez was arrested in an immigration raid that netted 14 other people. The immigrants were contractors for a janitorial firm, not BP employees.
http://www.nwi.com/articles/2009/02/23/ ... 073621.txt

Could lead to deportation This is going to be the new HLS under Janet...even the criminals will stay. and the whole country will be in the same condition as her state by the time she leaves!


........."Red Alert".........
Maryland needs help alipacer's , calls, faxes and e-mails
One day left to stop drivers licenes from illegal aliens !!
Instructions and Contact info:
http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-147196-days ... asc-0.html