Thread: Immigration officials arrest 150 workers in massive raid on Texas trailer manufacture

Immigration officials arrest 150 workers in massive raid on Texas trailer manufacturer


150 administrative arrests were made Tuesday as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into a Texas-based trailer manufcaturer.
(Charles Reed/ U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

August 28, 2018

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 150 undocumented immigrants working at a Texas-based trailer company Tuesday in one of the largest workplace raids in the last 10 years.The raid was part of an ongoing criminal Homeland Security Investigation into Load Trail, a trailer-manufacturing business in Sumner, Texas.

The investigation began when HSI received tips that the company had knowingly hired undocumented immigrants, and that the illegal workers were using fraudulent identification documents, ICE said in a press release.

“Businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens create an unfair advantage over their competing businesses,” said Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger. “In addition, they take jobs away from U.S. citizens and legal residents, and they create an atmosphere poised for exploiting their illegal workforce.”

The administrative arrests were made as part of a joint enforcement action led by HSI — the federal law enforcement agency responsible for enforcing the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act.

Arrested parties will be interviewed and “all illegal aliens encountered will be fingerprinted and processed for removal from the United States,” the press release said.

Berger emphasized the scope of the raid.

“It’s a big deal. This is probably one of the larger, single-site worksite operations in the last 10 years,” she said.

She said it could take months, or even years for the agency to complete its criminal investigation.

A criminal search warrant was issued but no criminal arrests were made Tuesday, Berger said.

“We are still collecting and vetting data,” she said, adding that “the administrative arrests are just one part of our criminal investigation.”

Berger insisted that significant planning went into the operation to make sure “the people we are administratively arresting are humanely treated or well-treated throughout the entire event.”

Load Trail was founded in 1996 and employs about 500 people on its 100-acre site, according to the company’s website.

An ICE report shows that in 2014, the company was fined $445,000 for hiring more than 179 unauthorized workers.

Dennis Perry, a current Load Trail employee, said armed agents moved in from “every corner” Tuesday.

“They drew their guns and told everyone to hit the ground,” he told The Dallas News.

He said some workers searched for cover and were tackled.

HSI set up a hotline for detainee’s family members to identify their detention location, status, and the removal process.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...828-story.html

Arrested parties will be interviewed and “all illegal aliens encountered will be fingerprinted and processed for removal from the United States,” the press release said.

Wow, i'm seeing some improvement here. Most of the time the press releases say something like, "they may be deported" or "being held for possible deportation." This specific release has commitment behind it ..... I like it.

He said some workers searched for cover and were tackled.

Searched for cover my arse, they were more than likely looking for an escape or hiding place.

More jobs that Americans will do and can't get.

Immigration officials raid North Texas company that allegedly hired undocumented immigrants


FILED UNDER IMMIGRATION
AT3 HRS AGO

• Kevin Krause
• Dianne Solis

​PARIS, Texas -- Federal agents raided a manufacturing plant Tuesday and detained about 160 alleged undocumented immigrant workers as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into a company that makes vehicle trailers.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations' office in Dallas said the operation is expected to be one of the largest of its kind nationally in a decade.

The raid is part of a criminal investigation into the Sumner-based company, Load Trail, for illegally employing foreign workers - a rare enforcement move reserved for repeat violators.

Katrina Berger, special agent in charge of ICE's HSI office in Dallas, said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference that while the primary focus was the criminal investigation, "We can't turn a blind eye to those illegal workers."

Berger said the message she wants other employers who engage in illegal hiring to learn is, "We're watching. And we're coming."

Sumner is an unincorporated community of fewer than 100 residents about 100 miles northeast of downtown Dallas and 12 miles west of Paris, Texas. Load Trail makes trailers that hitch onto vehicles.

Company representatives could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Load Trail began as a family-owned business in 1996 and has grown to employ more than 500 people on its 100-acre site, according to the company's website.

The company paid a $445,000 fine in 2014 for hiring undocumented immigrants to work in its plant, according to an ICE report. "The company employed more than 179 unauthorized workers" at the time, the report said.

Dennis Perry, a $16-an-hour Load Trail factory worker, said Tuesday that armed agents came into his workplace from "every corner" right after his break in the first shift. "They just came and raided from every entrance there was."

Then, "they drew their guns and told everyone to hit the ground."

Some workers went running. They were tackled, Perry said. A few workers hid by shelves but were quickly discovered. All were searched for weapons and drugs, Perry said.

As part of a criminal search warrant, agents questioned employees and seized employment documents. Berger said agents were told that many of the company's alleged undocumented workers were using fraudulent identification documents.

Many workers were "administratively arrested" and processed for immigration violations. Berger said no criminal arrests were made on Tuesday.

Suspected undocumented immigrants, mostly men, were issued notices to appear in immigration court for civil proceedings. Many were expected to be released with an order to appear at a later date in immigration court.

The company's owners face possible criminal indictment. "Abusive and exploitative" employers have in the past been charged by ICE with alien smuggling, alien harboring, document fraud, money laundering and conspiracy.

Berger said such illegal hiring practices give companies an unfair advantage, subject workers to low wages and potentially dangerous conditions, and take jobs away from U.S. citizens.

More than 300 federal agents and support staff, including translators, were part of Tuesday's law enforcement operation, including Air and Marine Operations, an agency within U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Local law enforcement officials were not asked to participate in the Tuesday raid.

One year ago, ICE's acting director at the time, Thomas Homan, told The Dallas Morning News that the immigration crackdown supported by President Donald Trump would make employers its next target.

"You are going to see a lot more work-site enforcement this year," Homan said. "We will take action against those employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens."

Homan promised ICE was "firing up" worksite enforcement, saying "We need to take the magnet away."

Verify before hiring

Federal immigration law made it unlawful for employers to knowingly hire those in the U.S. without employment authorization in 1986. But the laws haven't been enforced with the same vigor the immigration agency uses against undocumented immigrants.

Employers must verify the identity and work eligibility of everyone they hire, using what’s known as an I-9 form.

Load Trail trailer

Many immigrant employees use Social Security numbers that belong to other people or false documents, which Berger noted can wreck the victims' lives.

Employers have long argued that makes it hard for them to self-police and shows they didn't "knowingly" hire an unauthorized worker.

Berger said agents were told that many of Load Trail's alleged undocumented workers were using fraudulent identification documents. She said such employees often use stolen IDs.

Berger said investigations usually begin with tips. If the information checks out, ICE will conduct a work-site inspection in an attempt to verify I-9 documentation, she said.

If the audit turns up discrepancies, a company has the opportunity to correct problems by firing undocumented workers, Berger said.

ICE can fine companies for violations or win federal forfeiture judgments against them.

Asplundh Tree Expert Co., a suburban tree-trimming company in Philadelphia, was ordered to pay a record $95 million last year for hiring workers who were in the U.S. illegally.

If employers are repeat violators, ICE can launch a criminal investigation.

Berger said Load Trail is suspected of knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants.

Company donations

Cornelio Thiessen, 48, is listed in corporate records as president and secretary of the company.

Last Wednesday, Myparistexas.com published a story about how Load Trail supports local police. The website ran a photo of the family owners posing with Paris police officers.

"While Load Trail has already gone above and beyond donating much-needed supplies to local law enforcement, this morning they continued to show their support donating 55 tourniquets to the Paris Police Department," the article said.

Load Trail also donated a 16-foot trailer to the Paris Police Officers Association, the article said.

The article said Load Trail's owners -- Corny Thiessen, Jake Thiessen, Frank Thiessen, Johnny Thiessen and Aganetha Thiessen - took part in the donation ceremony.
The police association president could not be reached for comment.

Another Load Trail owner, Aganetha Thiessen, has traveled to Mexico and posted information about a Texas-based charity that helps poor families in Mexico, according to her Facebook page.
ICE said in May that it had already doubled the number of work-site investigations from the previous fiscal year.

There are an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., even though net migration from the big sending country of Mexico is now at zero, according to the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based nonprofit.

At the Mexican consulate in Dallas, Deputy Consul Edurne Pineda said consular staff may go to assist immigrant families in the larger, nearby town of Paris. Many Mexican immigrants live there, Pineda said.

"Unfortunately, we are expecting a lot of Mexican nationals to be detained," he said. "We are going to interview each one with an attorney and we will check to see if they have any chance of fighting their case."

Raid aftermath

On Tuesday as workers at the facility were being processed, federal authorities made sure that meals and water were being provided, Berger said.

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  Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided Load Trail LLC. trailer manufacturer in Sumner, Texas on Aug. 28, 2018.
  (Nathan Hunsinger/Staff Photographer)
  
  
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HSI set up a phone number so that families could call a 24-hour hotline to find out where their loved ones are at 888-351-4024. ICE will attempt to identify those workers who are caregivers of children and release them on humanitarian grounds, Berger said.

Tuesday afternoon as temperatures neared 100 degrees, ICE agents blocked the entry at Load Trail's office building, saying the company was closed. At a back entrance, agents were hauling off boxes.

Dianne Solis
✔@disolis
· 4h
Replying to @disolis
‘They just drew their guns and told everyone to get on the ground,’ says one worker about the start of a factory search by @ICEgov. ‘They just came and raided from every entrance.’ 4/

Dianne Solis
✔@disolis

But factory worker Dennis Perry is torn about the targeting of immigrant workers and his employer. ‘They are trying to support their families. But there is a right way to do it...’ 5/ pic.twitter.com/Ibk1tP0g1G
4:01 PM - Aug 28, 2018

• See Dianne Solis's other Tweets

Perry stood outside the factory near a lot filled with black trailers. He watched as dozens of immigrant workers were taken away in a variety of buses.

"I feel sorry for them," said Perry, 42, who admits he, like many others, is torn over immigration issues. "They are trying to support their families. I am never going to be against people who want to support their families. But there is a right way to do it."

But, Perry said, "I couldn't call anyone on them. In my work, you get to know a lot of these guys."

His wife Chrystal shook her head in agreement. "You get to know them," she echoed.

Near metal factory buildings in the Load Trail complex, buses with the logo of the Department of Homeland Security began making their way back onto the highway filled with workers.

Dianne Solis reported from Paris, Texas, and Kevin Krause reported from Dallas and Irving.

Buses loaded with detained employees exit after Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided Load Trail.
(Nathan Hunsinger/Staff Photographer)
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2018/08/28/immigration-officials-descend-north-texas-company-allegedly-hired-undocumented-immigrants

Originally Posted by lorrie

An ICE report shows that in 2014, the company was fined $445,000 for hiring more than 179 unauthorized workers.

You would think that a fine that big would have made him get rid of the illegals. Just goes to show that fines need to be drastically increased for people employing illegals. And since a fine wasn't enough the first time, he needs to serve some jail time this time around. That will get him thinking about what he did.

Also, ICE, keep making your way up north. We have a lot of them here in the Chicago area. Seriously.

Originally Posted by 6 Million Dollar Man

You would think that a fine that big would have made him get rid of the illegals. Just goes to show that fines need to be drastically increased for people employing illegals. And since a fine wasn't enough the first time, he needs to serve some jail time this time around. That will get him thinking about what he did.

Agree jail time!

Did you notice this from article?
-------------
Cornelio Thiessen, 48, is listed in corporate records as president and secretary of the company.

Last Wednesday, Myparistexas.com published a story about how Load Trail supports local police. The website ran a photo of the family owners posing with Paris police officers.

"While Load Trail has already gone above and beyond donating much-needed supplies to local law enforcement, this morning they continued to show their support donating 55 tourniquets to the Paris Police Department," the article said.

Load Trail also donated a 16-foot trailer to the Paris Police Officers Association, the article said.

The article said Load Trail's owners -- Corny Thiessen, Jake Thiessen, Frank Thiessen, Johnny Thiessen and Aganetha Thiessen - took part in the donation ceremony.
The police association president could not be reached for comment.

Originally Posted by MW

Wow, i'm seeing some improvement here. Most of the time the press releases say something like, "they may be deported" or "being held for possible deportation." This specific release has commitment behind it ..... I like it...

"Many will likely be released with a court date for a hearing before an immigration judge, except for those with a criminal history or new criminal charges, Berger said."

Immigration officials descend on North Texas company that allegedly hired undocumented immigrants


@ICE Raids North Texas Company That Hired Illegal Aliens

ICE come PA also your doing a very good job

2nd offense: Fine, jail and shut them down for 6 months! Make it hurt!

These illegal aliens hurt Americans, they cost us a fortune and they rape, torture and murder us!

These illegal aliens cost US taxers $133 BILLION a year!

Throw the book at them!