20 illegal aliens arrested at Memphis logistics company indicted on federal charges
20 immigrants arrested at Memphis logistics company indicted on federal charges
Daniel Connolly, USA TODAY NETWORK Tennessee Published 2:07 p.m. CT Dec. 13, 2017 | Updated 4:26 p.m. CT Dec. 13, 2017
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(Photo: Daniel Connolly/USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee)
Federal prosecutors announced criminal indictments Wednesday for document fraud against 20 alleged unauthorized immigrants arrested at a Memphis logistics company last month.
Those indicted could face up to five years in prison if convicted of using fake documents to get jobs, said U.S. Atty. D. Michael Dunavant, who spoke at a news conference flanked with officials from the Tennessee Highway Patrol and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.
Robert Hammer, assistant special agent in charge with HSI, said the agency is pursuing this case hard because the workers had access to a sensitive cargo area at Memphis International Airport that required special clearance.
It is imperative for the safety and security of our airports, seaports and railyards that all individuals seeking this type of special vetting present valid and genuine identification documents during the hire process.
The employers were not indicted. Dunavant said the investigation continues.
The arrests were carried out Nov. 28 by the Tennessee Highway Patrol in coordination with U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement at a Memphis unit of Seattle-based Expeditors International.
The 20 arrested, all apparently Hispanic immigrants, were accused of using fake identification to obtain jobs at the site through a staffing agency, Provide Staffing Services.
https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/7cc...6969-IMSGE.pngMarlon Ramirez and members of his family pose for a portrait in this picture taken before his arrest last month. From left to right: His wife Olaya Martinez, 37, children Sory, 13, Lily, 7, Marlon Jr., 11, Ory, 16, and their father Marlon Martinez, 36. (Photo: Submitted by Olaya Martinez.)
The 20 face state charges of forgery and criminal simulation. Many are still in jail at 201 Poplar because they also facing immigration holds, meaning they'll be picked up by immigration agents if they pay bail, defense attorneys said. At least two of the 20 have already been taken into federal immigration custody, a federal spokesman said last week.
Some of the defendants made brief appearances in General Sessions Court Division 7, Wednesday but their cases were mostly reset to next week.
Many family members of the detainees came to the court appearances, including those of Marlon Martinez, 36. With Christmas approaching, his wife Olaya Martinez said the only gift her four children want for the holiday is to have their father back home.
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Marlon Martinez is accused of using fake documents to get a job through a staffing agency. (Photo: Shelby County Sheriff's Office)
"At my house, it's like sad, sad, sad," she said.
She said she's a naturalized citizen from Mexico, her husband comes from Honduras and has immigration paperwork pending with the government, and the four children are U.S. citizens.
Some immigrants told The Commercial Appeal in 2007 that they had used fake identifications to land jobs at staffing agencies that placed them in Memphis-area warehouse companies. They and academic researchers from the University of Memphis described it as a widespread practice that allowed big companies to use unauthorized immigrant labor without bearing legal responsibility.
Reach reporter Daniel Connolly at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/crime/2017/12/13/federal-announcement-expected-memphis-logistics-company-arrests-say-defense-lawyers/949034001/
