Thread: Luxury Resort Raided for Illegal Immigrants

One of Washington D.C. area's most lavish luxury resorts is at the center of a wide-ranging immigration raid.

The Lansdowne Resort in Lansdowne is where federal agents carried out an illegal worker crackdown.

In handcuffs, workers were taken from the resort. They included people who worked to clean the hotel, prepare food and landscape the lush grounds. There were almost sixty people who are suspected of being in the United States illegally.

"It looked like they just did a minor pat down and it looked like each person had a plastic bag and they took that plastic bag from them. I presume it had whatever was in their pockets," said eyewitness Judith Boykin.

In unmarked vans, the men and women were taken off the resort property to be processed as those who work nearby watched in shock.

"This is our office building so we were a little surprised when we came to work this morning," said worker Elizabeth Ross.

According to federal sources, a routine investigation was launched at the resort several months ago. It was an inspection of the resort's employment forms, including alleged irregularities which led to Tuesday's raid.

"They are obviously hardworking people trying to support their families," said Boykin.

Those detained were taken to a Homeland Security site by bus. Depending on the outcome of each case, actual criminal charges may not be filed. Some of those arrested may be released, but everyone will be evaluated on their residency status.

"I'm not opposed to laws being enforced. I'm concerned about where their children are, happening here in Loudoun County (web|news)," said Ross.

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0408/509794.html

Illegal aliens did this to their children and they are going to have to deal with the consequences of those illegal choices.

Dixie

Who I really want to see hauled away in handcuffs is the president and senior management of this luxury resort.

Originally Posted by Populist

Who I really want to see hauled away in handcuffs is the president and senior management of this luxury resort.

You're so right Populist. It's the employers they should be going after because that's the root of the problem.....employers!

59 Arrested in Leesburg Immigration Raid

Last Edited: Tuesday, 08 Apr 2008, 9:08 PM EDT
Created: Tuesday, 08 Apr 2008, 9:08 PM EDT



LEESBURG, Va. (AP) -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say agents arrested 59 suspected illegal immigrants at a luxury resort in Leesburg.

After interviewing about 100 employees at the Lansdowne Resort on Tuesday, ICE agents arrested 53 workers and six more people were arrested outside the resort. Two woman were released for undisclosed humanitarian reasons.

Officials say the 59 people arrested are from El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina. They all face removal proceedings.

ICE officials say a routine review of employment forms in July led agents to suspect that many employees were using fake documents or stolen identities.


www.myfoxdc.com

Originally Posted by Populist

Who I really want to see hauled away in handcuffs is the president and senior management of this luxury resort.

Don't hold your breath

Comments are being left at the source link.
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ICE Investigation Continues After Suspected Illegal Immigrants Rounded Up At Lansdowne ResortBy Erika Jacobson and Alicia Biggs

(Created: Wednesday, April 9, 2008 11:27 AM EDT)



When Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed 59 suspected illegal immigrants employed at the Lansdowne Resort yesterday, it was the culmination of an almost nine-month investigation into the hiring practices at the upscale hotel.

Of the 59 workers arrested, two women were arrested but released for humanitarian concerns, which, according to ICE, includes consideration for single mothers, breast-feeding mothers, and those that are the single caregiver or support for their family. Another six employees were arrested outside of the Lansdowne facility, which employs some 500 people. Two have been charged with criminal violations, such as identity theft or obtaining genuine documents fraudulently. The other workers were arrested on the administrative charges of working illegally in the U.S.

Brandon A. Montgomery, of the ICE public affairs office, said the investigation into the working of the Lansdowne Resort began in July 2007.

"This has been described as a raid, but it's actually an extremely detailed operation," he said.

Montgomery said that investigations are begun if ICE sees inconsistencies in the employee paperwork that has been submitted by a company.

"There are several different triggers we notice," he said. Once an inconsistency is identified, the employer is notified and given an opportunity to resubmit forms and correct the problem. Often, Montgomery said, the situation ends there. In some cases, however, the inconsistencies continue or are not addressed and ICE continues to investigate on a larger scale.

Through analysis of I-9 employment forms, ICE agents identified information that led them to suspect that many of the Lansdowne employees were using fraudulent documents or had stolen someone else's identity to secure employment at the resort

"This really is based on a business model that a legitimate business uses to save money," Montgomery said about the Lansdowne arrests.

That came as a surprise to Cheryl Kilday, president & CEO of the Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association, who said she spoke with a Lansdowne Resort executive about the incident. Representatives from Lansdowne Resort could not be reached for comment.

"When you read the articles, there was a presumption that Lansdowne wasn't doing the right thing. Lansdowne was doing everything they could," she said. "I think first of all, they may use the term raid. But Lansdowne had been working with them since August. Lansdowne had been expecting them. They were cooperating in every way they could. This was something Lansdowne had been complying with."

ICE advised Lansdowne Resort to purchase and install new software, which management did, Kilday said. However, the software did not pick up the forged documents and other evidence that would point to illegal activity.

Kilday would like to see software in place that would act more as a tool to the hospitality industry and companies, which face this challenge.

"What we've learned is the employer is the one with the burden. That's a concern. The government can work with you and you still end up months later and you have people identified as being illegal. If someone is giving you false information, you can still have people that are arrested. The employer doesn't have all the tools the government has. Employers are concerned that they are being held to a standard they are not qualified to do. Is it the business responsibility or is it the government responsibility?"

The investigation into the situation is ongoing, Montgomery said. The arrested workers will be interviewed by ICE personnel, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Immigration Health Services staff and offered access to Social Services to record any medical, sole-caregiver or other humanitarian situations. Montgomery said the investigation also is continuing on the corporate side, as ICE looks into whether there are any other violations occurring.

Some of the arrested workers will be held in facilities awaiting transfer to detention centers, while others will be released on their own recognizance or released with a GPS tracking unit. "We have family detention centers, criminal detention centers and administration detention centers," Montgomery said. "A lot of it depends on space availability."

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office was on the ground Tuesday, assisting ICE with the arrests, spokesman Kraig Troxell said. Troxell said the sheriff's office was informed last week that the arrests were going to occur.

While ICE is still working to determine whether individual workers will be sent to detention centers or released, in all cases the undocumented aliens will be fingerprinted and processed for removal from the country.

Sustaining quality employees is a concern in Loudoun County, Kilday said, because of its low unemployment rate.

"Loudoun is enjoying a healthy employment base. It makes finding the service providers...landscapers, grounds crew, maids, it makes them harder to find," she said. "We've got workforce housing issues as well. In a service-based industry, which much of tourism is...we're trying to make sure we have a good strong employment base. Because of our immigration systems, they're going to have to replace those employees. No company wants to churn through employees."

Kilday does not believe the event will negatively impact visitor spending in Loudoun County.

"I'm sure to those people who lost their jobs yesterday it felt like a raid," she said. "To a consumer, it's not like it's an unsafe place or anything that would affect the visitor experience or not make them a good business partner in the community."

www.leesburg2day.com

That came as a surprise to Cheryl Kilday, president & CEO of the Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association,

Spin Spin Spin

Why is it that only we are tearing familys apart and they never mention how many people left thier own country without their kids ?? or spouse .??

Originally Posted by fmrjarhead

Why is it that only we are tearing familys apart and they never mention how many people left thier own country without their kids ?? or spouse .??

They just start a new family here