Thread: TENNESSEE 22 ILLEGAL ALIENS NABBED

22 undocumented immigrants held

Maury arrest leads to Midstate sweep

By JANELL ROSS
Staff Writer

Friday, 06/08/07
While searching for one Maury County man earlier this week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested or detained 21 other undocumented immigrants in Middle Tennessee.

The first arrest took place on Tuesday outside the federal immigration agency's own offices, officials said.

A man mowing the lawn there was detained after admitting that he was not in the country legally. Neither the man's name, nor the company he was working for will be made public, said Temple Black, a New Orleans-based agency spokesperson.

That same day, federal immigration agents working with Maury County sheriff's deputies arrested Juan Martinez Sandoval at a construction site in northern Maury County.

Martinez Sandoval has been convicted of selling cocaine in Columbia.

Foreign nationals convicted of certain crimes, including those involving drugs, are generally deported, said Nashville immigration attorney Sean Lewis.

Martinez Sandoval is in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and was on his way to Louisiana for a hearing and possible deportation, said Black.

The federal agency's work in Middle Tennessee did not end with Martinez Sandoval.

While watching and following him, 20 other suspected illegal immigrants were identified. All but one ended up in federal custody and are bound for Louisiana immigration court hearings, where ICE has a district headquarters. Names weren't made public.

One man arrested during the search for Martinez Sandoval had an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault in Maury County, authorities said. He is being held in the Maury County jail.

Maury County Sheriff Enoch George could not be reached for comment Thursday. Sheriff's deputies also worked with federal agents last month to arrest a mother and son living in the United States illegally. During that investigation, a total of 22 other illegal immigrants were arrested.

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It is good to hear that ICE is still on the job.