Thread: GA: 30 suspected illegal workers in custody (NEED HELP)

Posted on Thu, Nov. 01, 2007

30 suspected illegal workers in custody

BY HARRY FRANKLIN - hfranklin@ledger-enquirer.com
Federal agents converged on the National Infantry Museum construction site Tuesday morning, snaring 30 suspected illegal immigrants, some as they tried to flee.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents went to the 3800 S. Lumpkin Road site at 7:30 a.m. after getting a tip that illegal workers might be there, ICE spokesman Richard Rocha said Wednesday.

"There were some individuals who tried to escape," he said. "There were two who we were able to apprehend in flight. We worked with the employer, who helped us ask the employees to come down off the site."

Rocha said the agents presented a search warrant and asked employees to provide IDs on the suspected immigrants.

"Those who couldn't, it was determined that they may be here illegally," he said.

The suspects who were arrested were bused to the Stewart Detention Center near Lumpkin, where they are awaiting hearings to determine whether they will be deported.

The museum is being built by Batson-Cook Co. of West Point. Project Executive Paul Meadows said the arrested workers were all employees of subcontractors, not Batson-Cook. He said masonry, fireproofing, metal stud and other contractors were working there Tuesday, including local and out-of-town subcontractors.

Meadows said he didn't know how many workers were on the site or how many employees the project has had on site for the last few days.

"We'll hit the road running," he said. "I do not expect the project to be delayed. It's a special project for Columbus and for Batson-Cook. We take great pride in this project."

He said federal laws govern the employment of illegal immigrants.

"You have to have certain documentation from the federal level before you hire somebody. You have to have an I-9 form and have proper identification. The federal government lists what that proper ID is."

Meadows said Batson-Cook abides by the law, "and we expect our subcontractors to also follow all federal and state laws as well," he said.

Meadows said the company is cooperating fully with federal agents, and that no citations have been issued. He said the case is still under investigation, and his company will wait to see what happens with the immigration hearings before determining whether the company needs to take any action.

A museum spokeswoman said this is a Batson-Cook matter and referred questions to the company.

Rocha could not say how long the 30 individuals had been on the work site, whether they have previously been picked up in the United States or whether the employers could face charges. He said the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia will likely determine whether to charge any of the workers.

Twenty-seven of the arrested workers are from Mexico and three from Guatemala, he said.

They will be held in the Stewart Detention Center, operated by Corrections Corporation of America, until an immigration judge determines whether they are deportable. Rocha said it can take up to a month to complete the process and a hearing would be held before then. If they are found to be here legally, they could be released, unless they face other charges in the United States.

Rocha said background checks, including fingerprint checks, are done on arrested individuals to determine whether they face charges or have criminal history.

"If agencies are looking for them, we contact the agencies to find out how we can best help," Rocha said.

These arrests come nine months after 24 workers were arrested by ICE agents while trying to enter Fort Benning to do construction work on soldiers' barracks. Twenty-one were found to be in the U.S. illegally.
© 2007 Ledger-Enquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.


http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/story/166345.html


Comment section at link, no registration. Please leave a comment. This paper has virtually refused to cover the illegal immigration issue in the past. Please let them know there is enormous interest in it.



There is also a poll related to this article.

http://forums.ledgerenquirer.com/n/mb/m ... ubmit=Vote

And the raid, arrest and deportation continue in spite of protest by pro-illegal advocates like La Raza.(most powerful advocate in the country)Matter of fact, think they have increased.
ICE is on a roll and theres no stopping them now. Even with those who claim the raids are hurting the children.

Done Deal

Also done. I am so tired of papers not reporting all of the news. I am paying to read all, not just what they want you to read.


Hooray for ICE. It is just the beginning.

Construction Workers Appear In Court After Immigration Arrests

Nov 1, 2007 03:24 PM PDT




November 1, 2007

On Tuesday, immigration and customs agents arrested 30 construction workers at the site of the National Infantry Museum on South Lumpkin Road.


Thursday, seven of the 30 men arrested went before a federal judge.

A federal grand jury has indicted them on charges ranging from misuse of a social security number, to fraudulent use of a green card.

Defense attorneys tell News Leader Nine the other 23 men arrested did not appear in court because they are facing lesser charges.

"I was told the misdemeanor level crimes, which are basically being in this country illegally, are all being handled administratively. They should be right now in the process of deportation for all remaining defendants," said attorney Susan Henderson.

Since Thursday's court appearance was not a formal arraignment, the men were not required to enter pleas.

Each of their charges carry maximum sentences ranging from 2 to 5 years, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

But defense attorney Susan Henderson says her clients don't deserve such harsh punishments for their crimes.

"They have committed a crime, they have violated federal laws. But whether they did knowingly and with intent remains to be seen," said Henderson.

The construction management firm, Batson-Cook Company, is in charge of construction at the National Infantry Museum site.

Thursday, company executives responded to these arrests.

Because of the ongoing investigation, executives wouldn't name the specific sub-contractor who hired the arrested workers.

But Senior Vice President Randy Hall says his company always follows state and federal hiring regulations. "The hiring practices require that we take certain forms of identification. We are not aware of any laws that have been broken, certainly by Batson-Cook, and we are not aware of it in our subcontractor workforce," said Hall.

Hall says they are looking at ways to improve their hiring practices.

He also says Batson-Cook Company has worked with every subcontractor on the museum project in the past.

Batson-Cook company executives say these arrests will not delay the construction of the infantry museum. They're expecting the museum should to open by the end of 2008.
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=7299284&nav=8fap

Hooray for ICE. It is just the beginning.

Agree 100%.

"They have committed a crime, they have violated federal laws. But whether they did knowingly and with intent remains to be seen," said Henderson.


I always wonder how people can speak such lies and not be afraid lightning is going to strike them.

But why are they letting the others just be charged with the misdemeanor of being in this country illegally. They are working. Either the employer didn't even bother to ask for ID - which should make the employer subject to criminal charges - or they showed fraudulent documentation. That should be more than a misdemeanor.

This response was posted in the comment section following the above story.

I have worked in the construction industry for many years, have numerous skills and trades, and find myself unemployed. Not that there isn't plenty of construction work going on in Columbus; I've never seen it so abundant, but the fact is there are no jobs available because the positions are all filled by Mexicans. I am a roofer, certified welder, and experienced in most areas of construction. Today, I went to the site of The Infantry Museum and was told the only positiones available were for a Certified Plumbers, and bricklayers. I guess all the "illegal immigrants" were certified plumbers or bricklayers! If the plumbers were "illegals" I would seriously doubt that thay had certification. Many brickmasons have had to change thier occupation due to the influx of Mexican labor. Many roofers are unable to find work in Columbus, but anyone can ride by any new construction site and see the Mexicans have basically taken all the constuction jobs in this area. This is not the only area of this great country affectd by the illegal immigration problem. The real problem lies with the employers who would rather pay an illegal alien a lower wage than what a U.S. citizen, with a family to support, can afford to work for (a fair wage). Large corporations (ie; the textile industry, for so many years the backbone of this community) relocate to other countries where labor is cheaper and the taxes are lower. But , I guess it is hard to relocate the construction industry, the job has to be built on site. So,large corporations just hire illegal aliens of these same countries for the same reasons (cheap labor and lower taxes.) The solution to to these problems are very simple: 1) Make the fines so great on an employer that it is not worth the risk of hiring illegal aliens. (If you take away the jobs, you take away the reason they are here!) 2) Add tarrif taxes to imports equal to those that are applied to American products that we export to those countries. (These tarrifs will level the competetive global market and allow the greatest skilled labor force and industrialized nation in the world to fairly compete.) Until these measures are implemented this country (and it's citizens) will continue to suffer lost jobs and lost industries. http://pod01.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.a ... m&tid=5384