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Federal authorities arrest illegal workers at Navy base
March 16, 2006

NEWPORT, R.I. --Federal immigration agents this week arrested four janitors who they said were working illegally for a cleaning contractor at a Navy base.

The four workers -- three Guatemalan nationals and one Colombian -- are among 140 employees at Aid Maintenance Co. who are ineligible to work in the United States, said Paula Grenier, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Aid Maintenance, a Pawtucket-based janitorial service, contracts with the Navy's base in Newport and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

The arrests Monday were part of an ongoing effort to identify illegal immigrants who have access to critical infrastructure or military bases, Grenier said.

Federal authorities didn't release the identifies of the detained employees, but company officials said they are Juan Morales Jr., Daniel Reyero, Heather Meads and Oramis Perez.

A federal immigration judge will be responsible for deciding whether the four employees will be deported.

Russell Bizier, the company's operations manager, said he believed his firm was duped by its workers and now must fire more than half of its 280 employees.

Aid Maintenance officials check every job applicant's documentation to make sure they're eligible to work, Bizier said. The firm voluntarily submits Social Security numbers to a government database to check their authenticity.

"It's quite evident that there's people coming into the country and they get and obtain documentation that appears to be genuine," Bizier said. "The burden of proof is not on the employer to be a detective."

Bizier said immigration officials have told him the company will not be fined. Grenier, the immigration spokeswoman, said she could only confirm that the investigation is continuing.