18 illegal workers arrested
18 alleged illegal workers arrested
By Manuella Libardi
Updated 11:46 am, Monday, April 13, 2015
Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies arrested 18 undocumented aliens last week who were reportedly working under false identities at various refineries, industrial plants and shipyards in Jefferson, Galveston and Liberty counties, the U.S. District Attorney's Office reported Monday.
A federal grand jury indicted the individuals April 2, charging each of them with either illegal reentry after deportation, identity theft and/or making false claims of U.S. citizenship to obtain jobs over the past six years, according to a news release.
The undocumented individuals were allegedly working under bogus names and fraudulent social security numbers and birth certificates issued primarily in Puerto Rico, the release states.
The individuals were able to be issued ID cards from Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and other states using those documents, which passed the E-verify systems that employers use to ascertain U.S. citizenship or alien lawful work permits, the office reported.
The documents even allowed some of the individuals to obtain Transportation Worker Identification Credentials, giving them access to ports and other sensitive work sites.
Homeland Security was able to identify the individual because they'd been previously deported. One of them was deported after a felony drug conviction, the release states.
If convicted of the charges, the individuals face up to 20 years in federal prison and deportation.
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