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The story here is not the fire, so much, but those "chair-sitting" officials?????? who couldn't care beans about getting off their comfy chairs to investigate these illegals. This same group had been in trouble with immigration officials before!!! Similar case reported last month ... see http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-549.html
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-511.html

Excerpt ..... "Troy Fire Chief Tom Garrett said he was was upset with local Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services officials who "refused" to come to Troy and interview suspected illegal aliens who were living in a cramped upstairs apartment.

Firefighters discover substandard apartment, undocumented aliens
By: Robert Cristo, The Record03/26/2005

TROY - Around 10 people believed to be illegal aliens were forced out of their home Friday morning when a fire ignited on the first floor of the Hao Wei Chinese restaurant on Fourth Street.

Troy firefighters were called to 148 Fourth St. around 7:30 a.m. and quickly doused the flames from a fire that started in a mini-van seat that was resting against a furnace.

While the cause of the fire was deemed accidental and no one was injured, Troy Fire Chief Tom Garrett said he was was upset with local Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services officials who "refused" to come to Troy and interview suspected illegal aliens who were living in a cramped upstairs apartment.

Several of the residents had no green cards, no identifications and spoke no English, but because INS never stepped in, Troy Police were forced to release them.

According to Garrett, up to four residents were living in each of bedrooms upstairs and more than a half dozen mattresses were found on the floors of each of the rooms.

City officials are expecting to cite the building's owner, Hilton Li, for code.

This is not the first time Li's property has been the center of controversy. In November, federal agents swooped into a Li's building and other Chinese restaurants and apartments throughout the Capital District and apprehended dozens of suspects on immigration, money laundering and conspiracy charges.

With the aid of local and state authorities, federal agents carried out a series of raids that started with the Dragon Buffet and Motel on Central Avenue in Colonie and extended into downtown Troy, East Greenbush, Rotterdam and Schodack.

Swat teams found dozens of illegal aliens living in cramped and unsanitary conditions.

An unknown number of suspects was rounded up and the owners were arrested on harboring and inducing illegal aliens to reside in the United States, employing unauthorized illegal aliens and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In all, about 80 immigrants, including some from Mexico, were taken into custody and interviewed by immigration officials.

The owners were also charged with paying the illegal aliens, who worked more than 40 hours a week, less than minimum wage.

However, federal authorities could not be contacted to find out if Li was arrested on any of those charges.

The far-reaching investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, which has city officials further scratching their heads as to why INS wouldn't have any interest in this latest discovery.

After the raid, Li's property was shut down by the city for code violations, but according city spokesman Jeff Buell, the owner had corrected all the problems and was allowed to re-open.

However, barricades were put up around the building Friday morning and the building has been shut down again until further notice.

According to Buell, the owner could face more code violations.

The American Red Cross is providing emergency shelter and clothing for the residents left homeless by the fire.
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Local news station report gives additional details:

http://www.wnyt.com/x2791.xml?ag=x156&sb=x183

Immigrants found at fire allowed to leave
Fire chief says feds weren't interested in suspected illegals


About 10 immigrants were found living above a
Chinese restaurant that caught on fire in Tory.
(Photo: Dave Etzler / WNYT)

TROY, March 25
By CRAIG SMITH

Fire Chief Tom Garrett says he can't understand it. Several people, possibly in the United States illegally were being held by police, but a federal agency instructed local authorities to let them go.

It started with a fire at a Chinese restaurant on Fourth Street around 7:30 a.m. Friday. Garrett says the fire was accidental. He says someone left a car seat right next to an oven.

So they know the cause, but what they can't figure out is the way the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement handled this.

“We called INS. INS refused to come and told us to get their names and release them," Garrett said.

The fire chief says several people who were evacuated from the upstairs apartment had no identification, no green cards and spoke no English.

Garrett says police had them wait while they contacted federal agents. He says local authorities were told to take down names and let the people go.

"In today's day and age after 9/11 you'd expect somebody at least to come over and interview them and find out if they're here legally. They got their belongings out of the building because I've padlocked the building and these people are gone,� the chief said.

Garrett says the immigrants were living three to four people per room.

ICE spokesman Mark Thorn says someone did provide the names, which all checked out. As Thorn put it, the people in question had status to be in the United States.

Thorn did not say who provided the names, nor whether the names checked out before or after local authorities let the evacuees go free.

Thorn read a statement saying, “ICE is committed to the integrity of the immigration system and works closely with local and state law enforcement agencies.�