Thread: TX: Feds conduct immigrant raids around Houston UPDATE

Feds conduct immigrant raids around Houston
By SUSAN CARROLL HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Feb. 2, 2010, 10:17AM


Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this morning raided a southeast Houston transportation business that was a front for a stash house for illegal immigrants, authorities said.

The 9 a.m. raid at People Express in the 7200 block of Long Drive was one of several ICE operations conducted around Houston today, agency spokesman Gregory Palmore said. He did not immediately provide other details, citing sealed warrants.

Agents accompanied by a helicopter and an armored Department of Homeland Security vehicle swarmed the Long Drive site around 9 a.m., pulling out an undisclosed number of suspected illegal immigrants from a stash house behind the storefront, authorities said.

At a second location nearby in the 7700 block of Park Place, agents conducted a similar raid on a business called Ramirez Transportation.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 46998.html

2 photos here-
http://www.chron.com/news/photogallery/ ... uston.html

Video report here-
http://www.chron.com/disp/video.mpl/med ... 7?autoplay

Suspected Smuggling Businesses Raided
8 Search Warrants Issued For 8 Businesses

POSTED: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
UPDATED: 12:01 pm CST February 2, 2010

HOUSTON -- Federal agents raided businesses Tuesday as part of a massive crackdown on transportation companies that are suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States, KPRC Local 2 reported.

The raids are a culmination of a lengthy investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement into transportation companies that federal agents say are fronts for human smuggling operations.

Agents hit one southeast Houston business with force Tuesday morning. Tactical agents ripped the doors off the People's Express Transportation Service on Long Drive.

At least seven people were arrested.

An armored vehicle and tactical team were sent in because agents said the people running the company were armed and used pit bulls as guard dogs.

Agents also raided a house connected to the business. Federal agents said illegal immigrants were stashed inside after they had been smuggled into the United States.

At the same time, agents stormed another transportation companies a few miles away on Park Place Drive. Four people there were arrested.

Everyone arrested during the raids will be taken to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's processing center in north Houston for thorough questioning.

Federal agents said they have eight search warrants for eight different businesses across Houston.

The finer details of the investigation are under seal in federal court.

Video Included at link
http://www.click2houston.com/news/22411116/detail.html

Immigration Raids in Southeast Houston
Updated: Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010, 12:39 PM CST
Published : Tuesday, 02 Feb 2010, 12:23 PM CST

ALEXANDER SUPGUL
Web Producer

As part of an ongoing operation, immigration officials conduct a series of raids in southeast Houston where illegal immigrants are being allegedly treated as human cargo.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led the raids which started late on Tuesday morning outside a automotive repair shop at the 7200 block of Long Drive. At the building, agents and investigators found guard dogs and people acting as security guards behind a heavy-gauge metal gate.

The investigation determined that the building was used as a hub to hold illegal immigrants before moving them to other locations as part of a potentially sophisticated immigration scheme.

Another team of investigators and agents conducted a raid at another location at the 7700 block of Park Place Boulevard where four people were taken into custody.

ICE agents are planning to lead raids throughout the day. Immigrants taken into custody will be brought to a processing center in north Houston.


With Video
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/lo ... tion-raids

Feds conduct immigrant raids around Houston
By SUSAN CARROLL, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Feb. 2, 2010, 2:24PM

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents this morning raided a southeast Houston transportation business that allegedly was a front for a stash house for illegal immigrants, authorities said.

The 9 a.m. raid at People Express in the 7200 block of Long Drive was one of several ICE operations conducted around Houston today, agency spokesman Gregory Palmore said.

ICE officials provided few details today, saying they were waiting to release information until ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton announces results of the raids at a press conference Wednesday. Palmore declined to disclose the number of people detained in the operations, the number of locations targeted or how the raids were connected.

Agents accompanied by a helicopter and an armored Department of Homeland Security vehicle swarmed the Long Drive site around 9 a.m., pulling out an undisclosed number of suspected illegal immigrants from a stash house behind the storefront, authorities said. ICE agents also detained suspects who worked at the company, but declined to provide information on them.

Agents used a battering ram and knocked the security-gated front door to one side of the building off its hinges. Once ICE had cleared the buildings and loaded the suspected illegal immigrants into vans, animal control officers brought out pit bulls that were held behind the front office.

Alfredo Estrada, 61, who works about a block away at a furniture company, walked over to watch the raid unfold after spotting a government helicopter flying overhead and seeing marked government cars. He said the targeted business had only been in operation for a matter of months, but was not surprised to hear that it allegedly was a front for smuggling.

“There's a lot of that around here,â€

THANK YOU ICE!!!! It's not much but it sure is a start to removing the garbage from this city. Hope all the illegals take notice, your time is coming next!

THANK YOU ICE! THANK YOU ICE! And thank you Houston! It's about time you all started standing up for our side of the border. Keep up the great work everyone!

One of the articles above has been updated.
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ICE: Smuggling Businesses Raided
Search Warrants Issued For 8 Businesses

POSTED: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
UPDATED: 4:37 pm CST February 2, 2010

HOUSTON -- Federal agents raided businesses Tuesday as part of a massive crackdown on transportation companies that are suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States, KPRC Local 2 reported.

The raids are a culmination of Operation Night Moves, a lengthy investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement into transportation companies that federal agents say are fronts for human smuggling operations between Houston and Mexico.

Agents hit one southeast Houston business with force Tuesday morning. Tactical agents ripped the doors off the People's Express Transportation Service, located at 7222 Long Drive.

At least seven people were arrested.

An armored vehicle and tactical team were sent in because agents said the people running the company were armed, had surveillance cameras and used pit bulls as guard dogs.

Agents also raided a house behind the business. Federal agents said illegal immigrants were stashed inside after they had been smuggled into the United States.

"I didn't know anything like that was going on next door. The first moment I knew something was wrong, I saw people running up with guns drawn," witness Alfredo Enriquez said.

Boxes were removed from the business.

At the same time, agents stormed another transportation company, Ramirez Transportation, a few miles away on Park Place Drive. Four people there were arrested.

An arrest warrant was also served at a southeast Houston home near Hobby Airport.

Everyone arrested during the raids were taken to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's processing center in north Houston for thorough questioning.

Federal agents said they had eight search warrants for eight different businesses across Houston.

The details of the investigation are under seal in federal court.

Assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, John Morton, is expected to fly to Houston on Wednesday for a full briefing on the entire operation.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/22411116/detail.html

That's good! They only arrested 11 but that's probably a smuggling mill where they process 11 a day amounting to 4,000 a year. There were 8 other locations so if they have the same volume, then that's shutting down operations that bring in 32,000 a year. Lock 'em up and throw away the key.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-4891--0-0.html

UPDATED INFO here

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-187349.html