Thread: ID:Immigration officials detain 16 illegal workers in Nampa

Immigration officials detain 16 illegal workers in Nampa

12/04/2008 12:30 PM MST

KTVB

BOISE -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 16 Mexican nationals Thursday morning for immigration violations at a Nampa wood framing company.

All of the illegal workers are male and were employed by Idaho Truss. They will be placed in deportation proceedings.

Officials say the arrests are part of an ongoing investigation.

All of those taken into custody were fingerprinted and photographed. They were also interviewed by ICE agents to determine if they had any medical, caregiver or other humanitarian issues.

The investigation began after agents reviewed employment records of individuals who were helping build military housing at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Some of those workers secured employment using false Social Security numbers and other counterfeit identity documents.

“The lure of jobs in the United States continues to be one of the primary factors fueling illegal immigration,â€

More illegal aliens using stolen security numbers to gain access to a military installation with an active flightline during a supposed war on terror. And congress wants to stop these raids which means they don't care about about the security and safety of those serving them. Several illegal aliens also using stolen identities were found painting and doing other facility exterior maintenance at a nuclear power plant. Tell me this isn't another government conspiracy. I thought we are involved in a war on terror but you could have fooled me..

Originally Posted by retiredairforce

More illegal aliens using stolen security numbers to gain access to a military installation with an active flightline during a supposed war on terror. And congress wants to stop these raids which means they don't care about about the security and safety of those serving them. Several illegal aliens also using stolen identities were found painting and doing other facility exterior maintenance at a nuclear power plant. Tell me this isn't another government conspiracy. I thought we are involved in a war on terror but you could have fooled me..

Before 9-11 happened airport security was so lax we practically invited the terrorists to come in and attack us...

Idaho Truss President shocked by Thursday morning's immigration raid
Update

By Bethann Stewart and Patrick Orr - bstewart@idahostatesman | porr@idahostatesman.com
Edition Date: 12/04/08

Comments (0) |
Idaho Truss & Component Co. President Kendall Hoyd said he was shocked to learn Thursday that 16 of his employees were suspected of working illegally.

“We carefully documented everyone when we hired them,â€

I.C.E. News Release

December 4, 2008

16 illegal workers at Nampa company arrested in ICE operation


BOISE, Idaho - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 16 Mexican nationals this morning on administrative immigration violations at an Idaho wood framing company.

The illegal workers, all of whom are male, were employed by Idaho Truss in Nampa, Idaho, and will be placed in deportation proceedings. The arrests are part of an ongoing ICE worksite enforcement investigation.

All of those taken into custody were fingerprinted and photographed. They were also interviewed by ICE agents to determine if they had any medical, caregiver or other humanitarian issues. The interviews assist ICE in determining whether an individual will remain in ICE custody or be eligible for an alternative to detention based on humanitarian factors while they await a hearing before a federal immigration judge.

ICE initiated this investigation after reviewing the employment records of individuals who were helping build military housing at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Further investigation revealed that some of the workers may have secured employment using false Social Security numbers and other counterfeit identity documents.

"The lure of jobs in the United States continues to be one of the primary factors fueling illegal immigration," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations that oversees the agency's activities in Idaho. "This investigation is directly tied to ICE's effort to target those who violate our country's employment laws."

Since its establishment in 2003, ICE has dramatically enhanced its efforts to combat the unlawful employment of illegal aliens in the United States. During fiscal year 2008, ICE made 5,173 administrative immigration arrests at worksites nationally. In addition, 1,101 criminal arrests were made in connection with worksite investigations.

To help employers build a legal workforce, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has an initiative called the ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers or IMAGE. IMAGE is designed to build cooperative relationships between the government and businesses, strengthen hiring practices, and reduce the unlawful employment of illegal aliens. The initiative also seeks to gain greater industry compliance and corporate due diligence through enhanced training and education of employers. ICE strongly encourages employers to review IMAGE program materials available at www.ICE.gov.

ICE was assisted in this investigation by the Metro Violent Crimes and Gang Task Force based in Nampa and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

Last Modified: Friday, December 5, 2008
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0812/081204boise.htm

[quote]Some of those workers secured employment using false Social Security numbers and other counterfeit identity documents.

“The lure of jobs in the United States continues to be one of the primary factors fueling illegal immigration,â€

I hadn't heard of any workplace raids in a while, so I'm glad to see that at least one more, however small, was made. I still want to know if we, the public, hear about every single raid, or if there are some workplace raids that are made that never make the news or internet news.

Ostrich

Originally Posted by TheOstrich

I hadn't heard of any workplace raids in a while, so I'm glad to see that at least one more, however small, was made. I still want to know if we, the public, hear about every single raid, or if there are some workplace raids that are made that never make the news or internet news.

Ostrich

Oh no doubt all the whinners are getting their way, our government does not have the guts to stand up to them

This raid probably took place because they were working on a mililtary base.

[quote="butterbean"][quote]Some of those workers secured employment using false Social Security numbers and other counterfeit identity documents.

“The lure of jobs in the United States continues to be one of the primary factors fueling illegal immigration,â€

Some of the alleged illegal immigrants were deported before
YouNewsâ„¢


Story Updated: Dec 5, 2008 at 10:28 PM MST

By Vanessa Brown
NAMPA - Immigration and customs enforcement raided this Idaho Truss facility in Nampa. 16 men are now behind bars.

The company's president, Kendall Hoyd, says most of the men had worked there for five or six years. Hoyd told CBS 2 he checked the documents of potential employees. He says he presumed their social security numbers were real.

"These individuals showed documents that our investigation has shown were counterfeit," said Lorie Dankers, a spokesperson for ICE.

Hoyd says he cooperated with the ICE investigation. He says he was "very unpleasantly surprised" to learn the men he trusted, may have deceived him.

"It's very easy to get somebody's social security number, it's very easy to go get an identification card," said Jane Classen, who works for Ahead of the Kurve.

The company provides background checks for businesses. She says during pre-employment, companies can only screen social security numbers against whether a person is alive or dead. It's only after a person's hired that social security numbers can be matched to their name.

"That's where the legality can come in, that if you don't do due diligence, there can be consequences," Classen said.

Homeland Security offers a free online program called E-Verify, where companies can validate employment eligibility. The site that might have been useful in this case, because as it turns out, ICE discovered three of the men arrested were deported before. Three others have criminal convictions in the U.S., including domestic battery.

ICE officials say they've stepped up efforts to target violators. They want companies to do the same.

ICE says in the coming weeks, 13 workers will go before a federal immigration judge. The three who were previously deported will automatically be sent back to mexico. If you're trying to get in touch with someone taken during Thursdays raid, the number to call is 685-6697.


http://www.2news.tv/news/35641724.html