Thread: IL: 17 illegal workers arrested in Arlington Heights sting

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/cooksto ... c=c&tc=&t=

17 illegal workers arrested in Arlington Heights sting
By Stacy St. Clair
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Thursday, March 01, 2007



Seventeen undocumented workers were arrested Tuesday in an immigration sting on an Arlington Heights company, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.

The workers, all Mexican nationals, had been employed by Cano Packaging, which provides packaging services for the confections and food industry, authorities said.

Company officials declined to comment Wednesday.

The workers were sent to McHenry County jail, which has a contract with the agency to house those awaiting deportation hearings.

Of the 17 detainees, three opted to waive their trials and agreed to return to Mexico. They probably will leave the United States by week’s end, ICE spokeswoman Gail Montenegro said.

The other 14 will face deportation hearings.

Immigration officials began investigating Cano Packaging in October 2006 after receiving information about undocumented workers employed by the Arlington Heights business, Montenegro said.

No charges were filed against Cano, which has been in operation since 1974. The company operates an 89,000-square-foot facility at 600 W. University Drive.

Last year, immigration officials arrested 718 individuals nationwide on criminal charges stemming from work site investigations. Another 3,667 individuals were apprehended on immigration violations nationwide.

Its really time to seriously crackdown/fine/imprison employers who willfully hire illegals. Our food supply should never be compromised by people who are in this country illegally and have not been screened for diseases, mental problems or who harbor ill feelings towards the US. The contamination possibilities as a result are becoming endless.

I live less then an hour from this city. Could it possibly mean that they are going to start raiding in our area? We have estimates of up to 30,000 illegal aliens in town.

I listened to yet another local talk show program talk tonight about how it is destroying our town...