Thread: Routine license check sparks immigration scare

http://www.durantdemocrat.com/articles/ ... /news2.txt

Routine license check sparks immigration scare
By Margie Bull, Staff Writer


Rumors were flying in Durant yesterday regarding an Immigration raid Sunday night. Some people didn't show up for work and some students didn't go to school.

Durant Police Chief Gary Rudick said that Immigration had not contacted him, a courtesy usually extended, and he had no knowledge of an immigration raid.

“We believe this rumor started from a raid in other states and the Federal sources I have checked with do not confirm any immigration arrests in Durant. The Durant Police do not make immigration arrests, but we do have driver's license stops on a weekly basis to check for current driver's licenses, insurance verifications and vehicle inspections of all citizens. We only issue tickets in these cases and make arrests only on outstanding warrants,” Rudick said.

Businesses were not willing to comment on the issue and local schools declined to comment as well.

The statement below supports Chief Rudick's theory of the rumor beginning in another state and spreading like wildfire to our city.

Carl Rusnok, director of communications, central region spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security issued the following statement:

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a nationwide operation last week resulting in nearly 1,200 administrative arrests of illegal aliens who were working for IFCO Systems, a pallet-refurbishing company (see www.ice.gov for more details). Following any large-scale operation such as this, it is not uncommon for rumors to spread regarding other non-existent ICE operations. ICE is responsible for investigating a wide range of domestic and international activities arising from the movement of people and goods in violation of the nation's immigration and custom laws. ICE agents conduct operations daily in locations around the country as part of their efforts to protect the nation and uphold public safety. These operations are not random sweeps, but carefully planned enforcement actions that result from investigative leads and intelligence.”

ICE agents arrest seven managers of nationwide pallet company and 1,187 of the firm's illegal alien employees in 26 states.

The raid was in several different states and the ICE press release follows:

Roughly 53 percent of the firm's employees during 2005 had invalid / mismatched Social Security numbers



WASHINGTON, D.C. - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and Glenn T. Suddaby, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, today announced the results of a nationwide worksite enforcement operation targeting IFCO Systems North America, Inc. ("IFCO"), the largest pallet services company in the United States headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Yesterday, ICE agents arrested seven current and former manages of IFCO pursuant to criminal complaints issued in the Northern District of New York. All these individuals are charged with conspiring to transport, harbor, and encourage and induce illegal aliens to reside in the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain, in violation of Title 8, USC Section 1324 (a). The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each alien with respect to whom the violation takes place. Two other IFCO employees were arrested on criminal charges relating to fraudulent documents.

In addition to the criminal arrests, ICE agents yesterday conducted "consent" searches or executed criminal search warrants at more than 40 IFCO plants and related locations in 26 states that resulted in the apprehension of approximately 1,187 illegal alien IFCO employees. Three of the criminal search warrants were executed at residences in Guilderland, NY, where IFCO was allegedly housing illegal alien employees.

The consent searches and search warrants were conducted at locations in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia and Utah.

ICE agents in Dallas arrested 93 illegal aliens at three IFCO sites in Dallas: 2401 Vinson St., 4141 Singleton Blvd., and 2150 S. Peachtree Rd. Two arrests were also made in Lubbock, Texas; and three arrests were made in Amarillo. In Oklahoma City, Okla., ICE made another 50 arrests at: 2211 S. May Ave. The ICE Office of Investigations in Dallas, headed by Special Agent-in-Charge John Chakwin Jr., oversees north Texas and the State of Oklahoma.

The arrests and search warrants are part of an ongoing criminal investigation of IFCO's Pallet Management Services division that began more than a year ago.

ICE Assistant Secretary Myers said, "ICE has no tolerance for corporate officers who harbor illegal aliens for their workforce. This nationwide enforcement action shows how we will use all our investigative tools to bring these individuals to justice, no matter how large or small their company."

:P :P :P :P

Maybe they'll run scared back across the border. Coming out of the shadows isn't so great now, is it? :P

You know what they say, be careful what you want because you might just get it