11 illegal aliens arrested in Billings


Associated Press - September 15, 2007 4:54 PM ET

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Federal border patrol agents have arrested eleven Mexican nationals suspected of working illegally in Montana.

Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection were patrolling in Billings Thursday afternoon. They stopped to investigate after seeing a group of 7 Hispanic men getting out of a minivan with out-of-state plates.

Spokesman Alex Harrington said the men identified themselves as Mexican nationals and said they were members of a construction crew working on a new medical facility.

Shortly thereafter, a second group of men pulled into the parking lot. After interviewing the four, agents determined they were in the country illegally, too. They said they were working on a painting crew.

The men -- ranging in age from 18 to 33 -- are being held in the Yellowstone County jail, pending deportation.

Another agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will likely investigate whether local businesses knowingly hired the illegal workers.


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