Thread: Houston: 100 Feds Raided Flee Market

18 arrested in raid at Houston flea market
Suspects nabbed by ICE-led task force accused of document fraud
By SUSAN CARROLL
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
July 24, 2010, 6:58PM

Federal agents on Saturday raided a Houston flea market and arrested 18 suspects wanted in connection with selling fraudulent documents, authorities said.

More than 100 federal agents and local police served the federal arrest warrants Saturday afternoon at the Sunny Flea Market on Airline Drive near Gulf Bank Road. The members of a multi-agency anti-fraud task force piled out of unmarked trucks and vans around 2 p.m.

Witnesses reported that some agents screamed "Don't run!" in Spanish as people fled the flea market.

Michael Feinberg, the acting special agent in charge for investigations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Houston, declined to provide details Saturday about the specific type of document fraud the suspects were accused of committing, saying they were selling a "variety of IDs."

Lance Solano, a 29-year-old illegal immigrant from Guerrero, Mexico, said he was at the flea market shopping for phone cards when he heard yelling and saw the agents pouring out of vehicles. Solano said he was detained with the other shoppers for about 20 minutes.

"They checked my (Mexican) consular ID card, and then they let me go," Solano said.

Feinberg said agents were targeting only the suspects identified in the criminal arrest warrants and were not making immigration arrests at the flea market.

Saturday's arrests mark the first large-scale investigation for Houston's ICE-led Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, one of 19 nationwide. The local task force includes HPD, the Department of Public Safety and several federal agencies, Feinberg said.

From April 2006 through January 2010, ICE's fraud task forces initiated more than 2,474 investigations, helped bring about 1,681 indictments and 2,020 criminal arrests, and resulted in 1,493 convictions, according to the agency.

Feinberg said document fraud is an agency priority because it could potentially involve a "national security vulnerability" if someone who is a "high threat" assumes a false identity.

susan.carroll@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 23449.html

For ICE to not arrest anyone illegal is a crime

How long are we going to put up with this BS ?

And, the poor people are just here trying to make money. So, they are here making money and not paying taxes = state and federal law breaking that you and I would be in deep poop for. Or, paying taxes by way of stealing and ID = state and federal law breaking that you and I would be in deep poop for, not to mention being thrown in jail asap.

They are always saying that being in the country illegally is only a misdemeanor. But, as soon as they take one dollar into their lives that was made on our soil or used someone's ID they have committed a crime. Plain and simple. And, it's already been determined that once they commit a crime and don't get held accountable, they commit another one that is more serious.

Disgraceful . They should have arrested very illegal they found. They are not doing the job the US public pays for. ARREST AND DEPORT.

What the heck, it's some kind of enforcement by this administration.

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Added to the Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-5495--0-0.html

since when is a marticular card a valid form of ID no matter who you are looking for

Originally Posted by jamesw62

since when is a marticular card a valid form of ID no matter who you are looking for

Ditto james! As you well know, Mexico doesn't even recognize ( who cares even if they did) this so called "identification." This document was created specifically for illegal invaders- squatting in our country- so they can open bank accounts and conducts other business requiring identification.

Our government is the only ones dumb enough to accept this garbage as identification. I'm quite certain mexico is laughing at us everyday at the asinine lengths we go to in this country to accommodate their illegal invaders!

Feinberg said document fraud is an agency priority because it could potentially involve a "national security vulnerability" if someone who is a "high threat" assumes a false identity.

So does this mean your everyday, average, illegal invader, who steals or uses fradulent identification will not be targeted because they are not a so called "high threat?"

Of course it does! Why even bother asking....

ICE should come to Bakersfield Ca,and Fresno Ca fairgrounds for their weekend "fleamarkets". The same thing Is happening there also...

Had these 100 law enforcement officers including ICE done their jobs properly they could have arrested most everyone at that flee market. No one goes there but illegals.

More of the same old smoke and mirrors we are use to being fed by our Elitist Politicians. The Elitist think they can take the heat off and can proclaim they are doing something but of course they had identified at LEAST one ILLEGAL but decided to allow him to leave!! WE have been lied to my too many of our Elitist Politicians from both Major Political Parties on the issue of ILLEGALS invading the United States!