Thread: Owners arrested after ICE raid at Houston company

July 2, 2008, 5:22PM
Owners arrested after ICE raid at Houston company
2 leaders and 3 managers face charges after operation snares 166 workers


By JAMES PINKERTON
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle


Federal agents today arrested two owners and three managers of Action Rags USA, a Houston used-clothing and rag-sorting company where 166 undocumented workers were detained in an immigration raid last week, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed.

Charged were company owner Mabarik Kahlon, 45; his partner and uncle, Rasheed Ahmed, 58; manager Cirila Barron, 38; resource manager Valerie Rodriguez, 34, and warehouse supervisor Mayra Herrera-Gutierrez, 32.

They are charged with conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants, inducing illegal immigrants to come into the country, as well as illegal hiring practices.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston, the government alleges ''the defendants were involved in a pattern and practice of hiring a number of illegal aliens to work at the plant and knowingly accepting false documents as proof of citizenship."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Houston confirmed the arrests late Wednesday, but referred questions about specific charges to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

''Work site enforcement investigations are worked in multiple stages," said Robert Rutt, Special Agent in Charge of ICE criminal investigations in Houston.

''Often times, the most visible stage is the search warrant execution and arrest of illegal aliens. The next step, the arrest of owners and managers, comes after a review of the evidence and other investigative leads."

Those arrested are scheduled to be brought before a federal magistrate for an initial appearance Thursday morning. All are in custody at a federal detention center in Houston except for Ahmed, who was released on his own recognizance because of poor health.

The ICE raid at Action Rags, located at 1225 Port Houston, was one of the largest in Houston history and involved more than 200 federal agents. It took place a little over two months after ICE agents surrounded a Shipley Do-Nuts distribution facility on the north side and arrested 20 workers.

A Richmond attorney, who represents the company in civil matters, said he had spent months working with Action Rags to make sure their work force was legal.

''They are totally innocent of any wrongdoing, and have attempted through the legal process, of absolutely honoring all laws," William F. Estes said. ''I am their civil attorney, and they came to me, and we have met numerous times to make sure they don't stumble."

Estes said employers are placed in a tough position of trying to verify the legal status of workers, while not violating federal employment laws that prevent discrimination based on national origin.

james.pinkerton@chron.com


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5868590.html

No we're talking. Let's hope this is successful and they are sent to prison. Let's send a chill down the backs of unethical employers. Maybe I should just call them Modern Day Slave Owners.

Illegal alien employers = Illegal alien magnets (cause)

Those are the ones whom ICE should go after. Their numbers are less greater than the number of illegals. Obviously ICE should arrest illegal aliens as well as employers, but in my opinion, illegal employers should be gone after FIRST.

On July 4th I will lift a toast tp ICE for this arrest

definately good news here.

maybe these cheap employers will learn something

HEAVY FINES and FELONY JAIL time for the ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS! Remember Robert Camp another ILLEGAL EMPLOYER from Houston, "his" ILLEGAL EMPLOYEE murdered a Houston Police Officer by empting a completely loaded handgun into the Police Officer's back and the back of his head because he did NOT want to be DEPORTED AGAIN!

Good job!

Somethings bothering me about this, wher did Action Rags find that many illegal alien workers? Did they get them from a temp agency who supposedly voucher for their legal status? If so, why aren't the owners/managers of the temp agency arrested also?

ALL who knowingly profit from illegal aliens need to be arrested.

Originally Posted by miguelina

Good job!

Somethings bothering me about this, wher did Action Rags find that many illegal alien workers? Did they get them from a temp agency who supposedly voucher for their legal status? If so, why aren't the owners/managers of the temp agency arrested also?

ALL who knowingly profit from illegal aliens need to be arrested.

The owner was arrested. I also sounds like they may have been in the human trafficing business or using someone who does the human trafficing. The "inducing" charge sounds more like that.

I do know that temp agencies do hire illegals. I had a business owner in the town south of told me she uses temp agencies for guys to lift her furniture in her store. Supposedly the agency is to vet them. She knows because one of her designers said, "look how they shipped this its broken." Well the temps thought she said they did it and the ran like heck.

IMO they should change the name of their business from "Action Rags USA" to something else. Its doesnt seem like an American company.

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