Thread: ID:Immigration officials arrest 13 at Homedale pallet plant

Immigration officials arrest 13 at Homedale pallet plant
Sharon Strauss

HOMEDALE — U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers arrested 13 Mexican nationals Wednesday who were illegally employed at a Homedale pallet manufacturing company.

The illegal workers employed by Specialty, Inc., Wood Products will be placed in removal proceedings for violating U.S. immigration law.

Ten men and three women were taken into custody. Eleven are being held at the Ada County Jail. Two were released on humanitarian grounds while they await an immigration hearing.

ICE agents interviewed each worker to determine if they had any medical, caregiver or other humanitarian issues, ICE spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said.

Of those detained, three had previous orders of deportation and were back in the country illegally, Dankers said. Two others had criminal histories. “One had felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and probation violations in Canyon County. One had misdemeanor convictions for driving without a license in Valley County and was back in the country committing crime,â€

[quote]“We went in looking for worksite violations and we encountered these individuals. For those of us living legally in the country, the idea of having our I.D. compromised is not one we would like to entertain,â€

http://www.idahostatesman.com/235/story/342411.html

Homedale raid snags at least 13 workers

The CEO of the wood-products company says the arrests of nearly half his work force by federal ICE officers was a surprise.

An immigration raid on a Homedale wood products plant Wednesday netted at least 13 people suspected of working illegally, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An attorney for the workers says that number may be closer to 20.
The company chief said he was surprised by the enforcement action.

"We've been going through an audit for about a year now," Ed Leavitt, CEO of Specialty Inc., said Thursday. "We totally didn't expect this."

ICE personnel had been looking into the company's hiring records.

ICE had received a tip that illegal workers might be employed at the plant, said ICE spokeswoman Lorie Dankers. She would not comment on the time frame of the audit or details about the tip.

Dankers said 13 people were taken into custody during Wednesday's raid.

Maria Andrade, an immigration attorney and volunteer coordinator of attorneys helping the detainees, said that other arrests may have occurred as a result of the raid and that as many as 20 people may be in custody.

Dankers said the arrests included 10 men and three women, all of whom are Mexican citizens. ICE is not releasing the names of those taken into custody.

Isrobel Madrigal Valdz, 22, was one of those arrested, according to his wife, Victoria Madrigal Valdz, and her mother-in-law, Ana Mara Madrigal Valdz, who spoke at a press conference in Boise Thursday.

The couple has a 16-month-old child. They moved to Idaho from Arizona 10 days ago to live with the baby's godfather.

A tearful Victoria Madrigal Valdz said in Spanish that she knew her husband didn't have working papers.

She said she talked to her husband Wednesday after his arrest.

"He told us not to worry," she said. "But I tried to talk to him today, and he'd been taken to jail."

All but two of the workers are being held in Ada County Jail. Two of the arrested were released for "humanitarian reasons" and will make an appearance at a later date before a judge, Dankers said.

Humanitarian reasons may include medical issues or the need to care for children.

Madrigal Valdz said she didn't know what she was going to do.

"What I don't understand is why they treat us like delinquents. We come here to work hard ... We're making the country better," she said. "Why doesn't law enforcement focus on criminals?"

Dankers said three of the workers had previously been arrested on immigration charges and had deportation orders issued against them.

Attorneys for the detained wanted to ensure that clergy would have easy access to the workers in jail and that the workers would not be removed from Idaho until they had a chance to meet with their families, Andrade said.

Idaho has no immigration detention facility, and the workers will likely be sent to Arizona or Washington State, Andrade said.

The arrests likely won't slow down business at the pallet manufacturing plant.

Leavitt said those arrested represented less than half of his work force and that the arrests would have only a minor impact on the plant's operation.

"We're back up and running and, in fact, hired 17 more people this morning," Leavitt said.

The company has been producing pallets and onion crates in Homedale for 13 years, Leavitt said. He also said he's been working with ICE officials to ensure his company complies with hiring laws.

An investigation revealed that some of the workers may have used false Social Security numbers and other counterfeit documents to get hired.

The owner of the business is cooperating with the ongoing investigation, Dankers said.

Bethann Stewart: 377-6393; David Kennard: 377-6436