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06/22/2006
Five arrested in immigration raids


Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested five illegal immigrants at two southwest Iowa Chinese restaurants Wednesday.

ICE spokesperson Tim Counts said agents arrested two employees of the Panda Garden Restaurant in Harlan and three employees of the China Garden Restaurant in Atlantic for being in the United States illegally. He said one of those arrested was from Mexico and the others from Asian countries.

Counts would not release the individuals' names, citing agency policy. He said the five are being held in local jails and would have a hearing before a federal immigration judge to determine if they would be deported. Counts was uncertain when the hearings would be held. He said should a judge decide to deport the five, they would also have the right to appeal the decision.

Counts said at this point there are no charges against the restaurants, and did not know if any would be filed.

He said the Atlantic and Harlan police departments and Region IV Fusion Center assisted in the raid.

- Tom McMahon