Thread: Illegals at it again in Rhode Island

An uncertain future: 31 workers expected to face immigration charges

12:22 PM EDT on Thursday, July 17, 2008

By TOM MOONEY and KAREN LEE ZINER

Journal saff writers

Irma Perez, left, and Doli Guerrero, speak about their arrests by immigration agents at a news conference yesterday outside the J. Joseph Garrahy Judicial Complex in Providence. The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski

PROVIDENCE — On the Friday morning of June 6, a court clerk walked into the J. Joseph Garrahy Judicial Complex and noticed something suspicious.

On the office floor beside a photocopy machine lay a paper reproduction of some form of identification card.

The clerk’s next move, law enforcement officials say, was probably prompted by the current debate over the governor’s crackdown on illegal immigrants: the clerk called in the Capitol Police, who in turn notified the state police.

A month-long investigation culminated Tuesday when 50 immigration agents and 12 state police detectives swept into six Rhode Island courthouses at the end of the work day and peacefully arrested 31 maintenance workers on suspicion of being illegal immigrants. Some had used fraudulent identification to obtain their jobs, said U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente.

Video: Immigration arrests denounced at rally

The arrested workers — 16 women and 15 men — originated from Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil and Mexico. By yesterday morning, 12 had been released, some fitted with electronic ankle bracelets, pending future proceedings, on humanitarian grounds such as medical conditions or being the primary caregivers of children.

None had been charged criminally, said Corrente, but all face immigration charges.

No charges had been filed against the two cleaning companies that supplied the workers: TriState Enterprises, of North Providence, and Falcon Maintenance LLC, of Johnston. The two companies have at least 45 contracts to clean state buildings, including the offices of Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, the state Department of Administration and the Board of Elections.
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Video: Officials talk about the arrests at press conference
Our continuing report on how immigration – both legal and illegal – is affecting our state and its institutions

It was the second time in recent weeks that dozens of immigrants were suddenly taken into custody. On June 11 and 12, immigration agents conducted a sweep of restaurants, stores and apartments in Newport and Middletown, arresting 42 people from Brazil, Guatemala and Mexico.

News of Tuesday’s arrests sparked varied reaction, from joyous support from one group pushing for stricter enforcement of immigration laws, to condemnation on the part of about 70 immigrant advocates who rallied outside the Garrahy complex.

Terry Gorman, president of Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement, which has been a vocal proponent of curbing illegal immigration, said his group was “really ecstatic … It’s beginning to show the magnitude of the problem.â€

Same old, same old.

You're busted.

GET OUT!