33 arrested in Chamblee immigration raid

By MARY LOU PICKEL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/11/08

Federal agents arrested 33 people Friday during a work site immigration raid in Chamblee.

Seven people were charged criminally and 26 were charged with administrative immigration violations, said Patrick Crosby, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Agents from the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies served a federal search warrant at 3245 Chamblee Dunwoody Road early Friday afternoon, said Crosby.

Four employment agencies were involved in the raid, Crosby said: Number One Employment Agency; Da Zhong Employment Agency; Ji Chang Employment Agency; and Sing Rong Employment Agency.

Crosby would not say what criminal charges were filed against the suspects. They are now in federal custody.

ICE agents previously busted Sin Sin Employment Agency in Chamblee in 2005. The couple who ran the agency placed thousands of illegal workers in restaurants in several states. They were convicted of conspiracy and fraud related to immigrant smuggling and were sentenced to prison.

www.ajc.com