http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=4190676&nav=5ka4

Thursday, December 1, UPDATED: 5:25 p.m.
By Bob Reynolds

A group who's job it is to bring jobs to Schuylkill County is calling on a business giant to make sure that illegal immigrants are not hired again. It comes two weeks after federal agents raided a construction site and rounded up 125 undocumented workers.

The equipment is idle and the construction site is quiet at the Wal-Mart distribution facility near Minersville. Work on has been shut down for two weeks.

Federal agents rounded up 125 suspected illegal immigrant workers at the High Ridge Business Park last month. With half the work force removed, the construction site shut down after the raid.

"I think it's terrible. I'm out of work now on account of there are people in this country who are illegal. I don't think it's right. You go to work one day and are told to stop working," complained Jesse Stickell of Pottsville. "It's a month before Christmas time and everybody needs a little extra money at that time and then you lose your job on account of this and I thought we'd be back in a week."

He and his friend, Jim Siemanis of Minersville suspected there were undocumented workers on the job.

"All that work could be done by local people and isn't. Someone should take control of that somehow," Siemanis said.

"I know for a fact there are more of these situations in Schuylkill County. I know I plan on checking them out myself. I know that," said Sheriff Frank McAndrew. He tipped off federal agents to what he suspected was going on at the Wal-Mart warehouse.

Five contractors are under federal investigation. It's against the law to hire immigrants who are in the country illegally. Federal officials wouldn't say if Wal-Mart is also a part of the probe and would only say, "No stone will go unturned."

"How can you have that many illegal aliens up there and not know about them. I don't understand how that's possible," McAndrew added.

"We think it could have been done better by the company," said Frank Zukas, President of SEDCO, the non-profit economic organization that sealed the deal to have Wal-Mart build its distribution center in Schuylkill County. He's calling on Wal-Mart to do a better job at making sure their contractors don't hire illegals.

"So you go out and not reverify everyone that walks on site but you check those subcontractors that might need some checking," he added.

"A good percentage of them couldn't speak English. I think that makes for an unsafe situation. If there's a safety issue and you can't tell the guy stop, you're in danger or something is going to happen to you. I think that's a danger to everyone," Stickell added.

A call made to a Wal-Mart spokesman was not returned. In the past, Wal- Mart has blamed the contractors for hiring the suspected illegal workers.

There is no word when construction will resume at the facility.