17-year-old among immigrants detained at Surprise drophouse
Lily Leung
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 31, 2007 12:45 PM

Surprise police raided a reported drophouse Tuesday night, detaining 22 suspected undocumented immigrants, one a 17-year-old boy whom they believe was being held hostage.

For the past few days, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, had been investigating a tip from an unnamed source about a juvenile being held at a home at the 17300 block of West Langer Lane, Vincent Picard, a spokesman for ICE in Arizona, said today.

After identifying the home, ICE called on the Surprise Police Department for assistance and use of its resources, Picard said.

Police served the search warrant at about 6:20 p.m., said police spokesman Randy Rody. Once the subjects were taken into custody, the investigation was turned back to ICE agents.

Most of the undocumented immigrants found were Mexican nationals. Some were also from other countries, though it was unclear where, Picard said.

The 17-year-old boy was confirmed to be from Mexico, ICE officials said.

According to Picard, one of the 22 suspects was a woman and the rest were men.

ICE agents were still questioning the suspects today and were unsure if there was a smuggler among those who were detained, Picard said.

ICE is the largest branch of the Department of Homeland Security. In the past year, the agency has identified 156 drophouses throughout the Valley, according to ICE numbers.

Picard said drophouses tend to crop up in relatively newer neighborhoods in the Phoenix metro area.

“Smugglers figure, ‘Maybe folks don't know the rhythms of the neighborhood yet, or know their neighbors,'â€