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AP State News

November 02. 2005 3:29PM

Immigration agents arrest 24 workers in N.C., Ga.

The Associated Press

Federal immigration agents arrested 24 suspected illegal workers Wednesday at a Marine Corps base and the Atlanta airport, officials said.

Agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 21 illegal aliens working for construction companies at Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, the agency said. The workers were from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico and most had counterfeit immigration documents.

In Atlanta, two people from Senegal and one from Mexico were arrested at Hartsfield International Airport, where they had identity badges for access to secure areas. The arrests followed checks of records of employees at Le Petit Bistro in the airport, immigration authorities said.

Investigations were continuing in both cases, ICE spokeswoman Jamie Zuieback in Washington.

"Unauthorized workers employed at sensitive sites, such as airports and defense facilities, pose serious homeland security threats," Zuieback said. "Not only are their identities in question, but they may be vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists and other criminals given their illegal status in the United States."