ICE: As many as 100 immigrants found in SE Houston house

ICE: As many as 100 immigrants found in SE Houston house

Author: Matt Aufdenspring, Web Managing Editor, Click2Houston.com
Jill Courtney, Sr. Web Editor, Click2Houston.com
Published On: 1 h Updated 4 m

Aerials of suspected immigrant stash house bust

HOUSTON -As many as 100 immigrants were found at a suspected stash house in southeast Houston, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Authorities say they responded to a home in the 14700 block of Almeda School Road Wednesday morning where as many as 100 people, including a pregnant woman, were detained.

We're told the ages of those detained are from as young as ten to over 50 years old.
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• Aerials of suspected immigrant stash house bust
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Officials say three people were arrested for trying to run from police.
Several law enforcement agencies are working this investigation, including the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston Police Department, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
No other information has been released at this time. We'll post more details here as they come into the newsroom.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/ic...house/25053874

Authorities rescue 108 people from squalid Houston stash house

Officials say it's among the largest human-trafficking discoveries in the last five years.

By Paresh Dave
March 19, 2014, 5:20 p.m.

Houston police and federal immigration authorities rescued 108 people held against their will for several days in a squalid suspected stash house in south Houston, officials said Wednesday.

The 93 males and 15 females, including 17 children, came from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, authorities said. It was still being determined how they ended up locked in the small, single-story house with one bathroom, no hot water and very little food, officials told The Times.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which described the rescue as the region's largest such operation in at least five years, arrested five men on suspicion of running a smuggling ring, agency spokesman Gregory Palemore said. They had not yet been formally charged.

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• http://www.trbimg.com/img-52406bdd/t...23/187/187x105Study: Number of immigrants in U.S. illegally has stopped falling

Police started watching the house about 10 a.m. Wednesday, Houston police spokesman John Cannon said. They were drawn there by a frantic mother who called police Tuesday evening, saying that suspected kidnappers had ordered her to pay a ransom for her 24-year-old daughter and her 7-year-old-girl and 5-year-old boy. When the kidnappers failed to show up for the scheduled exchange in north Houston, the woman called for help.

Cannon declined to say how police connected the tip to the house. The caller's three family members were among those found inside.

Two of the suspects were arrested as they attempted to drive away from the house Wednesday morning. Guns and “paper indicating illegal activity” were found in the car, Cannon said, which gave officers reason to search the residence.

“They saw dozens and dozens of people in a very tight residence, cramped in like you would normally see animals,” Cannon said. “They were hungry and tired.”

The three other suspects were detained as they tried to run away. Cannon described them as core leaders who appeared to have been staying in a more well-kept bedroom with a refrigerator, a mattress on the floor and weapons.

The children and adults had been staying in a cordoned area of the approximately 2,200-square foot house, with boarded windows and two dead-bolted doors that opened only from the outside. The single toilet didn't always flush properly, Cannon said.

Video shot from news helicopters after the raid shows men, women and children sitting in small groups on the driveway of the ramshackle property as law enforcement officers mill about.

One woman said she had been stuck inside for 15 days and many others said they had been there since the weekend, Cannon said. A pregnant woman who felt ill was hospitalized. Another individual was also taken to a hospital for an unknown condition, Palemore said.

Authorities plan to interview, fingerprint, medically examine and provide a meal to the people found at the home. They were being held at an immigration detention facility and could face deportation.

“The scope of how long it has been operating will be investigated by ICE because of the magnitude of this,” Cannon said. “The officers were very surprised by the conditions and the number of people inside.”

Outside the house, officers found hundreds of chickens that may have been for cock-fighting, Cannon said.

The house, on Alameda School Road, is one of only a few in the mostly industrial area near the intersection of the Sam Houston Tollway and the South Freeway.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nation...#ixzz2wSUXgaFQ

No mention of illegal immigrants, only immigrants?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

No mention of illegal immigrants, only immigrants?

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Illegal Aliens is the term I prefer. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

No mention of illegal immigrants, only immigrants?

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http://www.alipac.us/f12/star-ledger...tories-299495/

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2 children among more than 100 people held hostage in Houston stash house

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by KHOU.com staff & Malini Basu / KHOU 11 News
khou.com
Posted on March 19, 2014

HOUSTON—More than 100 suspected illegal immigrants were found living in deplorable conditions in a south Houston stash house Wednesday, police said.

The men, women and children were held against their will by smugglers or coyotes.

One officer described the inside of the home in the 14700 block of Almeda School Road as "awful."

"There is no hot water in the house. There is a toilet that partially works—one bathroom for in excess of 100 people," said HPD spokesman John Cannon.

Police said there was human waste all over the house.

The victims included a 24-year-old pregnant woman and her two children, ages 5 and 7.

"The children were scared," said Noland Luke, a neighbor. "They brought them out, they crying and carrying on. Feel sorry for them."

The woman’s mother called authorities after a coyote, who was paid to bring them across the border from Mexico, refused to release the immigrants until　he got more money.

Police investigated her complaint and discovered one of the largest stash houses they’ve ever seen.

Deadbolt locks on the inside doors kept the victims from being able to leave the one-story home.

The hostages -- 94 adult males, 14 adult females and the two children—will be turned over to the custody of ICE.

Five smugglers were arrested by Houston police.

There were about 250 chickens living outside the home.

Still, neighbors said they never suspected anything.

"I only see them going in and out. That’s it," said Ellea Johnson. "I never had an idea it was like this."

Johnson was especially disturbed about the children.

"These kids aren’t going to forget this, they’re not," She said. "They need counseling for this. They’re young, elementary school children. It’s going to stick with them."
http://www.khou.com/news/local/Dozen...251022841.html

by Kristin Tate 20 Mar 2014, 6:08 AM PDT
breitbart

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On Wednesday morning, 109 individuals were discovered inside a locked residence--Houston Police Department (HPD) spokesman John Cannon confirmed to Breitbart Texas.

Cannon said that the home, located on Almeda School Road, appeared to be the site of a human trafficking scene. When officers initially entered the home around 11 a.m. this morning, "they saw a sea of people, some sitting on top of each other," Cannon said. "The conditions inside were filthy and dirty. Everywhere you looked there were clothes on the floor. There was one bathroom, no hot water, and a toilet that was only partially working... We got all the people out of the home. They were very tired and hungry so we provided them with food and water."

94 males and 15 females, ages five to 50, were being held inside the home. Many were children, some who seemed to be without parents. Cannon said that three of the individuals, thought to be smugglers, attempted to run away from police and were arrested as a result. Although no individuals on the scene appeared to be injured, Cannon said one woman found in the home was pregnant--she was transported by a nearby hospital to receive care.

At this point, it is unclear how long the individuals were being held in the house, but several of them told HPD officers they were there for two to four days.

Cannon also noted that several large coops containing hundreds of chickens were found on the residence, "indicating illegal activity with chickens be it fighting or other operations."

Greg Palmore of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Breibart Texas that the alleged human stash house is the largest he has ever seen during his seven years on the job. He said, "To date this is the largest numbers of individuals in one residence I have ever seen."

Although the stashed individuals’’ citizenship status has not yet been determined, Palmore said they are likely in the U.S. illegally.

All of the recovered individuals are currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). "The people will be taken to ICE's detention facility where they will be processed--they will each be finger printed and interviewed, one by one," Palmore said.

Cannon said that the house was discovered after family members of a 24-year-old woman contacted police. The family members "were told to go to a location in North Houston and exchange ransom money to pick up the woman and her two kids," Cannon said. "When the suspect did not show up, the family became concerned and contacted the HPD."

HPD officers were able to connect the family members to the house on Almeda School Road and set up surveillance cameras on the property. At 10 a.m., officers saw a vehicle leaving the residence. Officers pulled over the vehicle--they found several firearms and other evidence indicating illegal activity. The decision was then made to enter the house, in search of the woman and two children.

Officers were surprised to find the "massive" group of people they discovered upon entering the house.

The case is being investigated by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the HPD, and ICE.

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-T...ple-in-Houston

Published On: Mar 20 2014 07:49:58 PM CDT Updated 2 h
Phil Archer
click2houston.com

HOUSTON -

Federal agents said a total of 115 immigrants were being held at a suspected stash house in south Harris County by five smuggling suspects who are now in custody.

Special agent Brian Moskowitz with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told members of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, meeting today in Houston, that the suspects will be charged with “a variety of federal offenses, including hostage taking, unlawful possession of a firearm and conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens.”

Houston police made the discovery Wednesday morning in the 14700 block of Almeda School Road. Police said they had been conducting surveillance at the home after they received a report of a kidnapping Tuesday night.

Police said they were contacted by the family of a 24-year-old woman who reported that a human smuggler, or "coyote", had failed to show up at a meeting place where they were supposed to turn over the woman and her two children, ages five and seven.

According to Houston police, the investigation led to the home on Almeda School Road, where they pulled over a vehicle that was seen leaving Wednesday morning. Police said inside the suspects' vehicle they found two guns and evidence of a human smuggling operation.

Speaking to the same committee Thursday, Houston Police Chief McClelland said, “We believed someone's life was in jeopardy."

Once inside, the officers found a "sea of people," ranging in age from teens to adults.

"Bodies upon bodies, people stacked on top of each other. Dirty, filthy, conditions," said HPD spokesman John Cannon.

Police said a total of 94 men and 14 women were discovered, including one pregnant woman who was taken to a hospital for treatment.

"I can't believe it, can't believe because you never see that," said one neighbor.

The men were wearing only underwear and no shoes, so they couldn't escape, police said. The doors were locked from the outside.

An ICE official told Local 2 it was the largest operation it's encountered in five years. Authorities said 500 chickens were also found on the property.

Local 2 reporter Phil Archer toured the interior of the house Thursday, and found it dark as a cave, with the exception of a few, bare light bulbs. The windows were covered with sheets. The floor was a heap of blankets, garbage bags and trash. A few, dirty box spring mattresses were scattered in the two bedrooms and a built-on extension.

The immigrants were also detained and were taken to an ICE detention facility. Once there, they'll be fingerprinted and undergo medical screenings.

Each person will also have a one-on-one interview.

Some may be returned to their home countries, but decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. All of the them will have the opportunity to go before an immigration judge.

And all will have an opportunity to apply for a “U-Visa,” which allows illegals who are also victims of crime to live and work legally in the U.S. for four years.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/of...tions/25081154

Added most recent article above to the Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/content.php?r=2...use-conditions

NEW DETAILS IN THE HOUSTON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STASH HOUSE RAID

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by BOB PRICE 21 Mar 2014,

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- “Houston is the number one city in America with respect to human trafficking,” said Houston Police Chief Charles McClellan during his testimony before a Congressional field briefing on that very topic held in Houston today. U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul hosted a briefing at Texas Southern University to learn more about the separate but related issues of human trafficking and human smuggling from law enforcement officials in the city that leads the nation with crimes of this nature.

The briefing was held just one day after a large bust by the Houston Police Department (HPD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) where 115 illegal immigrants were found crammed into a filthy house, as reported by Breitbart Texas.

HSI Special Agent in Charge for HSI Houston, Brian Moskowitz, revealed new information about the Wednesday raid that was reported by Breitbart Texas’ Kristin Tate. Moskowitz announced the filing of federal charges of hostage taking, illegal possession of a firearm and harboring illegal aliens against five individuals who were captured in the raid Wednesday. He said that 115 foreign nationals, including women and young girls, were rescued in the operation. HPD Chief McClellan said his officers had received a tip on a kidnapping victim being held at this address. Due to exigent circumstances and fearing the victim’s life might be in immediate danger, HPD executed an immediate raid on the building where the victims were being held in what was described as squallier conditions. Upon discovery of the other victims, HSI was notified and they joined in the investigation.

Moskowitz, in his testimony, said “human trafficking and human smuggling are two separate crimes under the law.” He described human trafficking as a crime against an individual who is often held against their will and forced into some kind of slavery or indentured servitude relationship with the perpetrator who is holding them.

Human smuggling, however, he described as a “crime against the United States” involving people being smuggled illegally into this country, often in a voluntary manner. In reality, however, he explained these two crimes are often intertwined as many times the human smuggler, or “coyote,” will often hold their smuggling “passenger” hostage while demanding a higher payment that was originally agreed upon from the now human trafficking victim’s family.

Moskowitz discussed a recent trip to Mexico where he worked with Mexican authorities on improving communications between Mexico and the United States on these issues.

Despite Texas being the 2nd ranked state in the nation related to human trafficking and human smuggling, only one member of the Texas Legislature was present for today’s hearing. Chairman McCaul recognized State Representative Allen Fletcher for his participation in today’s event. Fletcher serves as vice-chairman of the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety and is the only retired peace officer currently serving in the legislature.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw spoke on the panel representing the state’s largest law enforcement organization. McCraw applauded the work of HPD and HSI in regards to yesterday’s stash house operation. McCraw said, “It is increasingly more difficult to tell the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling.” McCraw stated there was a 94% decrease in illegal entry in the past year. However, he explained, “There was a 221% increase in the number of children entering Texas illegally.”

McCraw said Texas uses a two pronged approach. Much of the work is done at what he described as an “enterprise level” where investigations are prosecuted against large trafficking organizations. McCraw has also implemented a massive training program to the patrol officer level. “Every patrol officer needs to be involved in human trafficking and human smuggling detection and enforcement.”

DPS is conducting training of patrol officers at all levels to help them recognize human trafficking victims and rescue them during routine traffic stops.

Harris County Sheriff Garcia said human trafficking can hide in plain sight. He cited the recent stash house raid as a prime example. Garcia talked about his department’s “I Watch Harris County” phone app to help potential witnesses report situations where human smuggling or trafficking might be ongoing. He said that when he became sheriff, there were six deputies who working on these issues in addition to their other duties. “All of them were men,” Garcia explained. “Now we have seven deputies focused on this and seven of them are females.”

Garcia explained how young girls get trapped into the sex trade.

“Young girls do not grow up with a dream of becoming a prostitute,” Garcia said. He claimed his deputies have rescued 230 victims of these crimes. The Sheriff’s Office will continue to leverage technology in these investigations and will work to increase the knowledge and training of his deputies, Garcia explained. He also said that passing a comprehensive or “sensible” immigration reform measure would help reduce these crimes.

Assistant District Attorney Ann Johnson said new laws in Texas and new procedures in courts are helping reduce the trend of the past where victims of these crimes were actually prosecuted as prostitutes. “We don’t want to prosecute victims,” Johnson said. She described the frustration of trying to help a young 15-year-old girl who was four months pregnant, a runaway with a low IQ and who functioned at a third or fourth grade level and who also suffered with drug dependencies. She said, “We cannot address these cases solely with the Juvenile Justice System.”

Houston Police Chief Charles McClellan described why Houston is the number one city in relation to these types of crimes. “Texas is number two in reported cases of human trafficking and Houston is the number one city in the nation,” McClellan began. He described Houston as having two large international airports, a major seaport, a large population of runaways and a robust economy. He said all of these conditions feed what he described as a “well established sex industry.”

McClellan described the assistance the HPD provided to a small city about 100 miles south of Houston that did not have the resources to investigate massage parlors. He said that with the joint effort there were able to break up a large network of parlors and rescued dozens of victims who are Chinese nationals. He described one 16-year-old female victim who was beaten and raped by a “john.” Her pimp refused to let her get medical attention until she had met her daily quota.

“We need help from the federal government,” McClellan explained.

He cited three areas where the feds could be of assistance: a national database to track victims and others involved in human trafficking; more resources for adult victims (he said there are currently good programs for juveniles); and, he urged passage of the Justice for Victims Enforcement Act authored by Texas Congressman Ted Poe and Senator John Cornyn.

Congressman Poe discussed the need to focus on the victims of these crimes. Citing a national shortage of bed space to house victims, Poe said many victims are put in jail because there is no place else to put them. He said there are 5,000 animal shelters across the country. “Not that I have anything against animal shelters,” Poe stated, “but there are only 500 beds available for child trafficking victims in the United States.”

Poe said society puts too many victims in jail when they should be treated as victims. “We must rescue them first,” Poe stated. He claimed the human trafficking industry is filled with “run-away, throw-away, stole-away” children. He said Congress must also fix the broken U-Visa system.

Congressman Al Green (D-TX) expressed outrage that the stash house that was busted yesterday was in his very own congressional district. “These are my people,” Green exclaimed. He said regardless of from where they came, they must be protected. “The U.S.

Constitution protects you when you are in this country, no matter where you came from.” He pledged to go visit the house where neighbors said they noticed nothing unusual before yesterday’s raid.

He quoted the Houston Chronicle article that said there was a large “Keep Out” sign in the front yard of the stash house. Green pledged to visit the stash house and “see what was hiding in plain sight.”

Sheriff Garcia said one of the biggest problems in rescuing victims and increasing prosecutions is getting victims to come forward. Often, he explained, the victims have been threatened and trained to be afraid of police. He said there are often threats against the victims’ families in their home country. These factors often lead to victims often taking a long time, if ever, to come forward. He explained there is a problem in the victim status visas getting processed if the victim doesn’t come forward immediately. Often times, he said, “the visas can be delayed or denied completely.” He urged Congress to fix this.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) added, “We don’t like to use the word slavery in this country.” Slavery is exactly what these victims often face and the word should be used without hesitation.

The Congressional panel was composed of Chairman Mike McCall (R-TX), and fellow Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX), Blake Farenthold (R-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Gene Green (D-TX) and Al Green (D-TX). Government witnesses included HSI SAIC Brian Moskowitz, Texas DPS Director Mike McCraw, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Harris County Assistant District Attorney Ann Johnson and Houston Police Chief Charles McClellan.

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-T...ash-House-Raid

ByCrimesider StaffCBS/AP
March 25, 2014, 2:10 PM



HOUSTON - Five men have been charged with using guns and threats in connection with a suspected human trafficking operation involving 115 people at a house in Houston.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Brian Moskowitz told a congressional hearing in Houston Thursday the five suspects were held on offenses that included hostage taking, weapons charges and conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants.

A tip led officers March 19 to the single-story home where they found 115 men, women and children jammed inside. Some of the people discovered in the 1,500-square-foot home were shoeless and in their underwear. All are believed to be in the U.S. illegally.

A criminal complaint filed Monday alleges the suspects conspired to detain and threaten the immigrants to extort money.

"We're not far along that we're going to release names at this point," agency spokesman Greg Palmore said. "We're still interviewing individuals and we'll follow the information where it goes.... It's nothing that's going to occur overnight."

"It's a typical stash house-type of environment," police spokesman John Cannon said Thursday. "What was atypical was the numbers of people kept inside."

Houston police, responding to a tip, went to the home in a somewhat rural area during a search for a 24-year-old woman and her two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy. They'd been reported missing by relatives late Tuesday evening after a man failed to meet them as planned at an undisclosed location on the city's north side, Cannon said.

Documents show the five suspects are scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday to face charges of hostage-taking and violence with a firearm.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/five-cha...15-immigrants/

5 plead guilty following massive stash house discovery in southeast HoustonKHOU
More than 100 suspected illegal immigrants were found living in deplorable conditions in a south Houston stash house Wednesday, police said...