ICE arrests 28 workers at nursery, landscaping business

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Dwight D.Eisenhower

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Dwight D. Eisenhower
XXXIV President

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ICE arrests 28 workers at nursery, landscaping business

Tuesday, 29 April 2008

25 Mexican nationals charged criminally for using fraudulent documents to gain employment
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
EL PASO, Texas - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents on Friday arrested 28 Mexican nationals, including 25 who face felony charges, who were employed by an area landscaping business and nursery here.

Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department officers assisted in the operations.

About 7:15 a.m. on April 25, ICE special agents executed search warrants at Nash Gardens at 150 E. Sunset Road in West El Paso, and a business annex at 245 Derby in Sunland Park, N.M. Special agents also served a search warrant at 269 Fountain Road, the Nash Gardens business owner's residence.

The ongoing ICE investigation revealed that employees, all men, were using fraudulent documents or Social Security numbers that had not been assigned to them. The U.S. Attorney's Office has accepted 25 cases for prosecution for using a false document or Social Security number for employment purposes. If convicted, the men face a maximum punishment of five years in prison. In the meantime, they have been placed in U.S. Marshal Service custody and will be detained at the Otero County Jail awaiting their initial appearance in federal court next week.

The other three men of the 28 arrested face administrative charges for violating immigration laws. They were working without authorization in the United States.

ICE special agents identified workers who legally entered the country using a Laser Visa, but they violated the conditions of the entry document. A Laser Visa, or DSP-150, is a visitor's visa which does not allow aliens to work in the United States.

Effective worksite enforcement plays an important role in combating illegal immigration and in protecting our homeland. ICE has developed a comprehensive worksite enforcement strategy that promotes national security, protects critical infrastructure and ensures fair labor standards.

"These worksite enforcement operations send a strong deterrent message to employers who may consider hiring illegal aliens,â€ said Roberto G. Medina, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in El Paso. "These operations also help maintain the integrity of the immigration system."

Medina also said ICE especially targets individuals and businesses that take advantage of unauthorized workers by paying them substandard wages and depriving them of benefits.

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