Thread: 9 illegals found working as janitors @ defense subcontractor

NOTE I would not use that for the title, but it was the title used!

LINK to original article

Claudine LoMonaco
Tucson Citizen
Mar. 22, 2005 09:05 AM

An investigation by immigration officials led to the arrest Monday of nine illegal immigrants performing janitorial work for a national defense subcontractor, Pacific Maintenance Co., in Tucson.

It was the first crackdown in the Tucson area since the Department of Homeland Security started targeting employees who are illegal immigrants at sensitive national security sites such as airports, nuclear power plants and oil refineries. Across the country, the crackdown has led to the arrest of at least 1,300 workers.

The nine arrested in Tucson were identified as Mexican nationals, and they worked for Pacific Maintenance Co., which cleans facilities at Honeywell, IBM and Texas Instruments. advertisement


"Sure, they were just doing cleaning services," said Russel Ahr, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "but one of the oldest methods of gathering intelligence is to catalogue people's trash."

The workers used false Social Security numbers and residency cards to obtain employment at Pacific Maintenance, said Ahr, who added that the company fully cooperated with the operation.

"We feel bad about this," said Pacific Maintenance Executive Vice President Larry Wishart. "They were good workers, and we appreciated their hard work."

Pacific Maintenance has about 1,000 employees who clean high-tech facilities along the West Coast. This was the first time the company has been linked to employing illegal immigrants since it began in 1931, Wishart said.

He said the company would make sure all employees received their last paycheck.

The group included men and women and ranged in age from the mid-20s to late 40s. None was found to have a criminal record. They were most likely deported to Nogales Monday, Ahr said.

Kat Rodriguez, from the immigrant-rights group Derechos Humanos, said national security was not the real issue.

The Department of Homeland Security "doesn't want to get caught with egg on their face," she said, "and find out that they've got undocumented immigrants cleaning out detention cells. They don't want to be another Wal-Mart."

Wal-Mart Stores escaped criminal charges but agreed Friday to pay $11 million, a record fine in a civil immigration case, to end a federal probe into its use of illegal immigrants to clean floors at stores in 21 states.

THAT IS WHY WE NEED MANDITORY S.S. CARD CHECKS BEFORE THEIR HIRED.......THEN THE EMPLOYER CAN'T SAY "I DIDN'T KNOW" WINK, WINK

"Kat Rodriguez, from the immigrant-rights group Derechos Humanos, said national security was not the real issue. "

Does it matter? They are illegals with false identification.
No, we do not want another Wal-Mart.