Family of roofer facing immigration charges booted from house

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Photo by Mike Springer/Daily News staff
The house at 21 Jefferson St. in Milford, owned by Daniel Tacuri who has been charged with numerous counts of hiring and harboring illegal immigrants, could be confiscated if he is found guilty.
By Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff
GHS
Tue Jan 29, 2008, 10:21 PM EST

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MILFORD -
Health officials Monday ordered the family of an illegal immigrant facing federal charges temporarily out of their 21 Jefferson St. home after it was discovered they were living without heat, hot water and electricity.

"It was for their protection of their own health, especially where there were children involved - that would have been done in any case," said Public Health Director Paul Mazzuchelli. "Your basic essentials for healthy housing aren't there."

Roofer Daniel Tacuri, an immigrant from Ecuador, was arrested on a criminal warrant for harboring and employing illegal immigrants, during a predawn December raid of his home by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents.

He is being held without bail at a Rhode Island prison, and is scheduled to be arraigned today in Worcester's federal courthouse on the 39 charges from his recent indictment.

Advocates for the family say Tacuri's illegal immigrant wife Maria, the couple's 4-year-old son Jonathan, and four other residents of the Jefferson Street home are struggling to get by.

"They don't have any heat, they don't have any food," said Beatriz G. Almeida-Stein, Ecuadorean counsul in Boston, who has been working with Maria and the family. "She's in a very bad situation because she doesn't have the money. She doesn't have any income, nothing."

A grand jury charged Tacuri, 32, with 20 counts of harboring illegal immigrants, 18 counts of employing illegal immigrants and one count of making false statements.

The Fire Department called the Board of Health Monday after Maria Tacuri called to get help when frozen pipes burst in the family's basement.

Health Inspector Steven Garabedian and Assistant Health Inspector Loriann Braza-Pallaria, who translated for Spanish-speaking Maria, discovered the conditions and ordered the residents not to stay in the house until heat, hot water and electricity are restored.

"It was cold. How cold was it? Too cold to stay," Garabedian said.

Officials offered help to find a place for the family to stay until the problems are fixed, but they said they had somewhere to go, Garabedian said.

Maria Tacuri and the couple's son stayed with friends Monday night, but may not be able to stay there for long, Almeida-Stein said.

"Everybody in Milford is afraid, all the Ecuadoreans are very scared," Almeida-Stein said. "Nobody wants to help her, they don't want to get near to her with her husband in jail and all the problems."

Two of Daniel Tacuri's nephews - ages 13 and 16 - were living in the three-story Jefferson Street home, Almeida-Stein said. They are two of the 15 illegal immigrants, including Tacuri, who were arrested during the raid, she said.

"They just got back a couple days ago," Almeida-Stein said. "I tell (Maria), they should go to school, they should do something."

The teens could live with family in Brockton, she said.

Daniel's brother Antonio Tacuri, who is scheduled for a deportation hearing, has a Feb. 24 court hearing that he plans on making, Almeida-Stein said.

Daniel Tacuri, whom prosecutors say became an immigration fugitive after being caught entering the United States near Brownsville, Texas, in 1998, is also known as Daniel Tacuri Llivichuscha and Daniel Tacuri-Cila.

Almeida-Stein said an immigrant association she founded is meeting Saturday and "I'm going to propose to see if we can help," the family.

Danielle Ameden can be reached at 508-634-7521 or dameden@cnc.com.

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