Immigration raid in Odessa targeted McDougal Construction site

Posted: May 17, 2011 2:58 PM PDT Updated: May 17, 2011 8:47 PM PDT

ODESSA, TX (KCBD) - Law enforcement officers arrested more than three dozen people during an immigration raid at a McDougal Construction site in Odessa on Tuesday.

When authorities arrived at the Tuscany Apartments at 4001 Faudree Avenue around 7 a.m., more than 100 people were working at the construction site, Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter said.

About 100 officers from various agencies including U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Odessa Police, U.S. Marshalls, the Ector County Sheriff's Department and the Midland County Sheriff's Department arrested 39 people for questionable immigration status.

KCBD spoke with owner Mark McDougal Tuesday afternoon. McDougal says all 39 arrested individuals worked for subcontractors and all McDougal Construction employees were cleared and released.

"As we figure out who those were, who they worked for, then we will be getting with these sub-contractors to get that problem corrected or find another sub-contractor," McDougal said.

UPDATE: A spokesman for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement tells the Odessa American that they took 38 people into custody, 37 men and 1 woman, for immigration violations. The spokesperson says that is an administrative charge, so no names will be released, and those arrested will not go through Federal Court before being deported.

A worker, quoted in the Odessa American says he's been at the site since November and that there have been two other raids during that time. McDougal tells KCBD he only knows of one time when INS went to the site to search for two specific people who he says were not there.

http://www.kcbd.com/story/14664183/immi ... ction-site