ICE Apprehends 595 Undocumented Workers At An Electrical Equipment Manufacturing Plant In Laurel, Mississippi
.jpg)
On Monday, August 25, 2008, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (“ICE”) raided Howard Industries Inc. of Laurel, Mississippi, an electrical equipment company that produces electrical transformers, medical supplies, and others, apprehending 595 suspected undocumented workers. Howard Industries, founded in the 1960s, received in 2002 a $31.5 million, taxpayer-backed incentive plan aimed at helping to expand its operations. On Monday, Barbara Gonzalez, ICE’s spokeswoman for this raid, stated this raid was "...a targeted enforcement operation that is part of an ongoing ICE investigation that has revealed that illegal aliens are employed at Howard Industries." Barbara Gonzalez also added that ICE had acted on a tip provided by a union worker. The U.S. Department of Justice and ICE issued a joint press release annoucing that “…special agents executed a federal criminal search warrant yesterday at Howard Industries, Inc., an electric transformer manufacturing facility, for evidence relating to aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers and other crimes, as well as a civil search warrant for individuals illegally in the United States…as a result of yesterday’s enforcement action, approximately 595 illegal aliens were arrested by ICE special agents. Of those, approximately 106 were identified as being eligible for an alternative to detention based on humanitarian reasons. These individuals will still be required to appear before a federal immigration judge who will ultimately determine whether or not they will be deported. Eight criminal cases have been accepted for prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi. The criminal cases are focused on charges of aggravated identity theft. The other cases are being handled via administrative law procedures at the Department of Homeland Security. “Yesterday’s enforcement action is part of ICE’s ongoing nationwide effort to shut down the employment magnet fueling illegal immigration,” said Holt. “We are committed to strengthening the integrity of our nation’s immigration system. Harris noted that the eight cases being criminally prosecuted are for separate identity theft charges. “Identity theft is a growing problem in the United States, and the Department of Justice has prioritized bringing perpetrators of these crimes to justice and protecting the interests of innocent victims. All of those arrested were interviewed, fingerprinted and photographed by ICE agents and processed for removal from the United States. Approximately 475 were transported to an ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana where they will await the outcome of their case. The eight individuals facing criminal charges are in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service.” On August 27, 2008 the Hattiesburg American reported that "when federal agents raided the Howard Industries plant early Monday, they sealed off the exits and made it impossible for any of the workers to escape, some of the detainees released said Tuesday. ...when the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents scrambled into the plant, they ordered workers to form two lines - one for Hispanics and one for non-Hispanics."According to AP this "the largest single-workplace immigration raid in U.S. history has caused panic among Hispanic families in this small southern Mississippi town, where federal agents rounded up nearly 600 plant workers suspected of being in the country illegally."
