Thread: Immigration raid under way in Arizona

Immigration raid under way in Arizona
1 hour, 19 minutes ago
Mar 9, 2007


TUCSON, Ariz. - Federal authorities raided a business accused of hiring illegal immigrants Friday, three days after immigration agents detained more than 360 workers at a leather factory in Massachusetts.

Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said agents in Arizona were arresting people in the Sierra Vista and Douglas area but she didn't have a number of targets.

The name of the company, the type of business and other details also weren't immediately released. The U.S. Attorney's Office planned to discuss its 16-month investigation later Friday.

In Massachusetts, the raid on the leather manufacturer earlier this week drew criticism over the children left behind at schools and day-care centers after parents were detained.

Gov. Deval Patrick called it a "humanitarian crisis."

One mother was located in Texas after her 7-year-old child called a state hotline set up to help reunite the families. Patrick said the woman would be returned to Massachusetts on Friday along with about a dozen other adults caught in the raid. At least 60 others had already been released for humanitarian reasons, most related to child care. They still must appear before a judge for immigration hearings.

The governor said state officials had finally received a complete list of the names, addresses and birth dates of all those in custody.

Marc Raimondi, spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, had no immediate comment on Patrick's announcement Friday.

Authorities alleged the company, Michael Bianco Inc. in New Bedford, used sweatshop conditions to meet the demands of $91 million in military contracts to make products including safety vests and lightweight backpacks. The Defense Logistics Agency said Thursday it was suspending the company from bidding on future contracts.

Federal agents also raided a party rental company in Southern California on Thursday and arrested 11 workers on immigration violations, authorities said. That company did work at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and the raid was part of an effort by immigration authorities in San Diego to review employment records of military contractors. More than 800 unauthorized workers have been arrested since 2003.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070309/ap_ ... ion_raid_1

I wonder how the children of the illegal immigratns feel knowing they are the ones used to keep their illegal parents out of detention and deportation, then again, guess they really don't know any other life then that of being used for their loving parents for one thing or another! This shows the world their "good" family values, and how they "love" their children so much!

At least 60 others had already been released for humanitarian reasons, most related to child care. They still must appear before a judge for immigration hearings.

Like any of these people will re-appear before the judge. Their probably stealing new identities as I type. Hope they put ankle bracelets on them or their gone!

I agree nittygritty. They need to send the mothers and anchor babies back home. This would send a clear message to them that child exploitation will not be tolerated.
In the raid in near Boston there was a claim that an infant was hospitalized due to dehydration as it was accustomed to the mother's breast milk. Isn't it amazing that the child was not dehydrated when mom was at work? Playing those violins just don't cut it with those of us who can see things for what they really are.

Someone or something is finally getting the enforcement job done.
I did not know there was a hot line to reunite children and parents in case of deportation.


What’s the Number 1-888 -tak-meto

There should be large rewards in cash for people that report these factories that hire illegals.

Renite them in their homeland.

Dixie

I agree that they should be reunited with mom back where mom came from. If Canada can do it as in the case of the Portuguese couple who had to make arrangements for their child and then had to leave as they were illegal. I posted that article. There has been no compaint about it so why can't the United States do the same.

Originally Posted by swatchick

I agree that they should be reunited with mom back where mom came from. If Canada can do it as in the case of the Portuguese couple who had to make arrangements for their child and then had to leave as they were illegal. I posted that article. There has been no compaint about it so why can't the United States do the same.

Because the United States can't get its sh_t together!!!!

March 9, 2007, 3:58PM
Immigration Agents Raid Ariz. Company


By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press writer
© 2007 The Associated Press


TUCSON, Ariz. — Federal authorities on Friday raided a construction company accused of hiring illegal immigrants, detaining eight undocumented workers and arresting several other employees.

Scores of agents fanned out in Douglas, along the Mexico border, and in Sierra Vista, about 50 miles northwest, in the raid on Sun Dry Wall & Stucco Inc.'s offices, a foreman's home, the home of a suspected counterfeiter and eight work sites.

Company president Ivan Hardt, 44; the firm's human resources manager, Carol Hill, 42; and four other employees were taken into custody on federal counts of conspiring to knowingly hire illegal workers and harboring illegal workers, said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Immigration officials were processing the eight detained workers, all from Mexico. Three other people were charged in state court with supplying workers with counterfeit work documents, officials said.

A message left at the Sierra Vista-based firm was not immediately returned.

Federal authorities in Arizona set up a hot line to help families inquire about relatives who may have been arrested.

The arrests came three days after federal agents raided a leather factory in Massachusetts and detained more than 300 illegal workers. Those arrests drew criticism over the children left behind at schools and day-care centers after parents were detained. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick called it a "humanitarian crisis."

Dozens of those workers were later released for humanitarian reasons, most related to child care. They still must appear before a judge for immigration hearings.

Authorities alleged the leather company, Michael Bianco Inc. in New Bedford, used sweatshop conditions to meet the demands of $91 million in military contracts to make products including safety vests and lightweight backpacks. The Defense Logistics Agency said Thursday it was suspending the company from bidding on future contracts.

Federal agents also raided a party rental company in Southern California on Thursday and arrested 11 workers on immigration violations, authorities said. That company did work at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and the raid was part of an effort by immigration authorities in San Diego to review employment records of military contractors.

In Arizona, immigration agents had promised stepped-up examinations of construction, agricultural, landscaping and service-industry businesses in hopes of deterring illegal hiring and lessening the economic incentive for immigrants to illegally cross the border.

The Pew Hispanic Center has estimated that 10 percent of all workers in Arizona's economy are illegal immigrants, a figure that federal officials have called conservative.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4617009.html

Immigration Agents Raid Ariz. Company
Friday, March 09, 2007

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Writer
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TUCSON, Ariz. —

Federal authorities arrested a construction company's president and several employees Friday on allegations they hired illegal workers and used lookouts to avoid immigration agents.

Eight undocumented workers were detained Friday, and authorities said 30 others had been picked up previously in the investigation.

Scores of agents fanned out in Sierra Vista, a growing military community about 50 miles southeast of Tucson, in the raid on Sun Dry Wall & Stucco Inc.'s offices, a foreman's home, the home of a suspected counterfeiter and eight work sites.

Company president Ivan Hardt, 44; the firm's human resources manager, Carol Hill, 42; and four other employees were taken into custody on federal counts of conspiring to knowingly hire illegal workers and harboring illegal workers, said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hardt and one of his foremen used two-way radios to communicate about the whereabouts of immigration agents, according to a criminal complaint submitted Thursday. They would relay the location of unmarked ICE vehicles to supervisors who would move the undocumented workers to another site, prosecutors allege.

If the immigrants couldn't be moved in time, the foremen would tell them to hide, investigators say.

"We have got a company that was knowingly hiring illegal aliens after they had been given adequate opportunity to adjust their hiring practices and they continued to blatantly disregard those laws," said Alonzo Pena, the chief of investigations for ICE in Arizona.

Investigators allege the company underreported its number of employees to federal inspectors. They also said some workers were found to have fraudulent work documents.

Immigration officials were processing the eight detained workers, all from Mexico. Three other people were charged in state court with supplying workers with counterfeit work documents, officials said.

Messages left at the firm's office were not returned Friday and there was no answer at a home listing for Hardt.

Federal authorities in Arizona set up a hot line to help families inquire about relatives who may have been arrested.

The arrests came three days after agents detained more than 300 workers suspected of being illegal immigrants at a leather factory in New Bedford, Mass., that had been awarded $91 million in military contracts. The Defense Logistics Agency said it was suspending the company, Michael Bianco Inc., from bidding on future contracts.

Those arrests drew criticism because children were left behind at schools and day-care centers after parents were detained. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick called it a "humanitarian crisis."

Dozens of those workers, most of whom were responsible for the care of children, were released pending immigration hearings.

Federal agents also raided a party rental company in Southern California on Thursday and arrested 11 workers on immigration violations, authorities said. That raid was part of an effort to review employment records of military contractors.

In Arizona, immigration agents had promised stepped-up examinations of construction, agricultural, landscaping and service-industry businesses.

The Pew Hispanic Center has estimated that 10 percent of all workers in Arizona's economy are illegal immigrants, a figure that federal officials have called conservative.

___

Associated Press Writer Steve LeBlanc in Boston contributed to this report.

___

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov/

U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/az/

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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