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DHS Arrests 60 Illegals in Sensitive Jobs
The Department of Homeland Security yesterday arrested 60 illegal immigrants who worked at 12 critical infrastructure sites in six states, including seven petrochemical refineries, three electric power plants and a pipeline facility.There is no evidence that any of the workers -- who come from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala -- have any terrorist ties, said officials with the DHS Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. But officials said there is reason to be concerned about their presence at those sites nonetheless. The immigrants arrested "pose a serious homeland security threat," Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Michael J. Garcia said in a statement. "Not only are their identities in question, but given their illegal status, these individuals are vulnerable to potential exploitation by terrorist and other criminal organizations." Some of those arrested could face criminal charges of using fraudulent documents to get the jobs or reentering the country after deportation, officials said. The sweep is part of a larger ICE initiative over the past two years to remove illegal immigrants working at sensitive infrastructure locations. About 1,100 undocumented workers have been arrested at airports alone. Most of the sites in this week's crackdown are in Texas and California, with others in Oklahoma, Mississippi, Kentucky and Louisiana. The workers were all employed by Brock Enterprises of Beaumont, Tex., which provides maintenance workers to nuclear plants, chemical manufacturers and other industries. The company cooperated in the probe and is not a target of the investigation, ICE officials said. Many of the workers got the jobs by presenting phony documents to a hiring consulting firm that worked for Brock, officials said. "These sorts of cases may be high-profile, but they're unlikely to make the country more secure," said Susan F. Martin, a Georgetown University immigration expert. "What's needed is a much more comprehensive reform of immigration policies" to help employers know whether someone is authorized to work. And I'm sure that no one will complain if we tighten the rules about IDs and immigration, right? Posted by: too true 2005-05-21 |
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