CA-Immigration raid at a Palm Springs bakery nets 51 arrests

Immigration raid at a Palm Springs bakery nets 51 arrests
Nicole Brambila • The Desert Sun • September 10, 2008

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Fifty-one people were arrested today during an illegal immigration raid at a Palm Springs bakery, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. However, 24 were released because they are the primary caregivers of children or elderly adults.


More than 60 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers conducted the raid at Palm Springs Baking Co., 1196 Montalvo Way, near the Palm Springs International Airport.

The majority of the arrests were for living and working in the United States without documentation.

Supervisor Margarita Hernandez Aviles, 52, of Cathedral City, was arrested on suspicion of continuing to employ an unauthorized alien, ICE authorities said.

Her son, Lorenzo Hernandez, said: "If they've got something, say there's illegals working here, then go to the owners. Why her?" He said she's been a supervisor for 20 years and makes less than $11 an hour a a translator.

However, ICE officials said the raid was conducted because of allegations that managers and supervisors at the company extorted money from undocument immigrants -- guaranteeing them a job if they paid $3,000. They received a tip about the allegations in 2006.

"Employment is a magnet," said Jorge Guzman, assistant special agent in charge with ICE. "It's an exploitation of human cargo, that's what it is."

Brandon Tesmer of Huntington Beach, CEO of the company, said the company has been in the valley for 20 years.

"We've worked with INS in the past," Tesmer said. "We'll work with them now. We've done everything right."

Workers intermittingly came out of the building and rummaged through their vehicles for paperwork to hand to agents.

One woman ran up to the building, saying her mother was in there, then ran away after she was deterred by ICE officers.

Those trying to find out information about arrested family members today can call (909) 286-3324, ICE officials said. After today, they can call (213) 830-4930.

The officers came from the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, about 11 a.m. after convening there about 9 this morning.

Federal Food and Drug Administration officers also participated in the operation.


http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 006/NEWS01

Where are the green carders and i-9ers? They are coming!

No Americans Jobs!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Oh we have many illegals! But the new fight which we must fight is legal immigration. Dear Lord Help Us!

The i-9's and the green cards are killing the jobs totally for Americans.

Where are the Americans working?

Hate or Love a country? Is the question?

Quote:

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http://tinyurl.com/5tv8k4

BALTIMORE -- A Snow Hill man will spend three years in prision for trying to bribe state and federal officals in a scheme that cluminated in raids on several Lower Shore businesses last fall.

Javed Iqbal, 40, was also given three years supervised release Tuesday for a racketeering conspiracy related to a scheme to bribe officials with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to illegally obtain green cards and the Maryland Comptroller's Office to receive abatement of state taxes, said officials from the U. S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

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REMEMBER THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THE LOOPHOLE... ALL FOREIGNERS WANT I-9'S AND GREEN CARDS AND ETC. THEN THE AMERICANS JOBS ARE THEIR'S LEGALLY AND THE BABIES PRODUCED ARE AMERICANS?

Wow!! The raids are really picking up in frequency recently, aren't they?

Big companies, small companies, in-between sized companies.......good strategy to always keep those employers waiting, wondering, and worrying.

Round and round enforcement goes, where ICE will strike one never knows.......... :lol:

Way to go I.C.E.!!! As long as you are in the state, drive West and raid all of L.A. you can even pick a place at random, success is virtually guaraanteed.

[quote="Buzzm1"]Way to go I.C.E.!!! As long as you are in the state, drive West and raid all of L.A. you can even pick a place at random, success is virtually guaraanteed.[/quote

While I do LOVE to read about the raids, leave it to an alipac'er to turn up the laughter! Thanks, Buzzm1 you made my enjoyment even better.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Buzzm1

Way to go I.C.E.!!! As long as you are in the state, drive West and raid all of L.A. you can even pick a place at random, success is virtually guaraanteed.

---

That's what I was thinking. :roll:

Call ICE and thank them!

Send 'em packin!

ICE Rules!!!

Official song for our newest deportees:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGUaaEN7_-s

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...mmer/hooah.jpg

Thanks for the youtube link dep0rt! Cool school band!

Immigration raid hits Palm Springs bakery


08:30 PM PDT on Wednesday, September 10, 2008

By KIMBERLY PIERCEALL
The Press-Enterprise

A Palm Springs bakery has been accused of hiring 51 illegal immigrant workers and demanding $3,000 payments to work there, according to a filing made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Riverside's federal court.

On Wednesday, officers raided Palm Springs Baking Co. at Montalvo Way behind Palm Springs International Airport and arrested Margarita Avilez Hernandez, a 52-year-old supervisor, and 36-year-old Alicia Ramirez, a former supervisor. The two face up to six months in prison and fines of $3,000 for each illegal immigrant working at the company.

Authorities reviewed the Social Security numbers for 133 employees and determined that 106 were fraudulent. They also found 97 of 117 Social Security numbers used by employees at Just Off Melrose Inc., a bread bakery in the same building and under the same ownership as Palm Springs Bakery Co., were also false.

Eduardo Carmona, another supervisor at the bakery company is named in the court filing but hasn't been charged.

Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the two-year investigation is ongoing.

Of 51 illegal workers at the bakery, 27 were detained and transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Lancaster. The rest were processed and released before their immigration hearings.

Since Sept. 30, 2007, the enforcement unit has made 1,070 criminal arrests at workplaces and detained 4,700 illegal workers for immigration violations, according to a statement from the group.

In 2007, Riverside-based Golden State Fence Co. was forced to forfeit $4.7 million in profits after authorities discovered executives were repeatedly hiring illegal workers.

The company had won a $22.8 million contract in 1997 to build a 14-mile fence on the border.
Of 534 employees in its Riverside and Oceanside offices, 157 were illegal immigrants.

Melvin Kay, the company's president, was fined $200,000. Michael McLaughlin, the company's vice president, was fined $100,000. Each was sentenced to three years probation and 180 days of house arrest.

Reach Kimberly Pierceall at 951-
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stor ... bfbd2.html

I.C.E. News Release

September 10, 2008

ICE executes federal search warrant at Palm Springs bakery in ongoing probe

Current and former manager charged criminally; 51 workers arrested on immigration violations

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed a federal search warrant at a local baking company here today, arresting a current and former company supervisor on criminal charges and 51 other workers on administrative immigration violations.

The arrests and the execution of the search warrant at the Palm Springs Baking Company on Montalvo Way are part of an ongoing probe by ICE that began in 2006 after ICE received a tip that the business was allegedly hiring illegal alien workers.

The two individuals facing federal prosecution are charged in a criminal complaint with one count of continuing to employ an unauthorized alien. Margarita Avilez Hernandez, 52, who currently works as a supervisor for the Palm Springs Baking Company, was taken into custody by ICE agents at the bakery this morning. Alicia Ramirez, 36, who formerly worked as a supervisor for the business, was arrested this afternoon. Both women are expected to make their initial appearance in federal court in Riverside, Calif., later today. The maximum penalty for the misdemeanor charge is six months in prison and a $3,000 fine for each unauthorized alien.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal arrest warrants, local law enforcement alerted ICE in 2006 that the Palm Springs Baking Company allegedly guaranteed employment to illegal aliens in exchange for a payment of approximately $3,000 for each worker. During the ensuing investigation, ICE agents submitted the names and Social Security numbers of more than 130 of the company's employees for verification and were advised that more than 100 of those numbers were invalid or did not match the accompanying name.

"No business regardless of size or type is above the law," said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Los Angeles. "Businesses that use illegal alien labor not only rob lawful residents and U.S. citizens of job opportunities, they also often exploit unauthorized foreign workers to gain an unfair economic advantage over their competition."

In addition to the criminal arrests, ICE agents encountered 51 workers (31 women and 20 men) at the bakery who were found to be in the United States illegally. The group included nationals from three countries - Mexico (49), Guatemala (1) and Honduras (1). The individuals arrested on administrative immigration violations are being photographed, fingerprinted and processed by ICE.

They are also being interviewed to elicit information about possible health, caregiver or other humanitarian issues, and to identify any urgent medical needs. The information aids ICE in making decisions about whether to detain an individual or permit a conditional humanitarian release.

As a result of those interviews, 27 of the illegal alien workers encountered at the baking company today have been detained. The majority will be transferred to the ICE contract detention facility in Lancaster, Calif., operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The remaining 24 illegal workers are being processed and will be released on humanitarian grounds while they await a future immigration hearing.

Since ICE was established in March 2003, it has dramatically enhanced its efforts to combat the unlawful employment of illegal aliens in this country. So far this fiscal year (Sept. 30, 2007 through Aug. 30, 2008), ICE has made 1,070 criminal arrests tied to worksite enforcement investigations. Of those, 123 are owners, managers, supervisors or human resources employees accused of violations ranging from alien harboring to knowingly hiring illegal aliens. The remaining criminal defendants are workers arrested on charges including aggravated identity theft and Social Security fraud. ICE has also made approximately 4,700 administrative arrests for immigration violations during worksite enforcement operations this fiscal year.

To help employers build a legal workforce, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a new initiative called the ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers or IMAGE. IMAGE is designed to build cooperative relationships between the government and businesses, strengthen hiring practices, and reduce the unlawful employment of illegal aliens. The initiative also seeks to gain greater industry compliance and corporate due diligence through enhanced training and education of employers. ICE strongly encourages employers to review IMAGE program materials available at www.ICE.gov.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

Last Modified: Thursday, September 11, 2008
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Steve.Pougnet@palmsprings-ca.gov, Rick.Hutcheson@palmsprings-ca.gov, Lee.Weigel@palmsprings-ca.gov, Ginny.Foat@palmsprings-ca.gov, Chris.Mills@palmsprings-ca.gov

Steve Pougnet - Mayor
Rick Hutcheson - Councilmember
Lee Weigel - Councilmember
Ginny Foat - Mayor pro tem
Chris Mills - Councilmember

http://www.ci.palm-springs.ca.us/council.html

From: buzzm1
To: Steve.Pougnet@palmsprings-ca.gov; Rick.Hutcheson@palmsprings-ca.gov; Lee.Weigel@palmsprings-ca.gov; Ginny.Foat@palmsprings-ca.gov; Chris.Mills@palmsprings-ca.gov
Subject: Insist businesses use E-Verify
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:15 am

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve Pougnet - Mayor
Rick Hutcheson - Councilmember
Lee Weigel - Councilmember
Ginny Foat - Mayor pro tem
Chris Mills - Councilmember

Dear Mayor, and Councilmembers,

Please insist that Palm Springs businesses enroll in E-Verify to prevent further Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids such as the very recent one on Palm Springs Baking Co.

It's an embarassment, and a black eye, for Palm Springs to have this happen.

Sincerely,
name removed (Buzzm1)
A very concerned citizen

Immigrant Workers Released on Electronic Monitoring

Posted: Sep 12, 2008 01:46 PM PDT

Updated: Sep 12, 2008 01:46 PM PDT

By KPSP Local 2 News

Some of the 51 undocumented workers arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Wednesday, have been released on electronic monitoring.

A number of those workers will likely be used as witnesses in a case built against Palm Springs Baking Company. The investigation was initiated by a tip in 2006. Eighty percent of the company's workers allegedly worked under a fake social security card.

http://www.deserttelevision.com/Global/ ... ?S=9000375