March 12, 2007

Worksite Enforcement Operation at MBI, Inc.

On March 6, 2007, ICE agents conducted a worksite enforcement operation at Michael Bianco, Inc. (MBI).  During the operations, the owner of the company and three managers were arrested on charges in connection with alleged hiring of illegal aliens. Another individual was arrested on charges that he provided fraudulent identification documents to workers at the factory.  MBI is a New Bedford, Massachusetts manufacturer with $92 million in government contracts.  ICE also arrested over 300 illegal aliens.

ICE took unprecedented steps to respect the rights of those detained in the operation and their families and went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that their family members and other interested parties could obtain information about their arrest and detention status.  During the administrative processing, ICE released 60 individuals for humanitarian reasons.  Many of these individuals were released because they are the sole caregiver of a child.  The purpose of their release is so they can continue to provide care while they await the outcome of their immigration proceedings.

Services Provided to Detainees and Their Families:

During this operation, and in operations conducted throughout the country each day, ICE takes extraordinary steps to determine if any arrestees have minor dependents and to ensure that no child was separated from his or her primary caregiver.  Specifically in this operation, ICE agents asked each arrestee about dependent obligations prior to transporting any arrestees away from the arrest site.  In addition, detainees were given numerous opportunities to advise ICE agents of unattended dependents or other humanitarian issues prior to their transportation to a detention facility.  All the detainees were provided a notice, in both English and Spanish, containing the telephone number for the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS).  Further, all detainees were encouraged to call that number in the event that they had unaddressed childcare issues.

ICE provided DSS personnel broad access to the arrestees at the processing site at Ft. Devens and continues to fully cooperate with the State of Massachusetts to allow interviews of arrestees at detention facilities in Texas to determine if any child’s sole caregiver is being detained there.  ICE is providing access to the arrestees for the sole purpose of allowing the determination whether there are any sole child-care providers at either facility. 

Further, all the illegal aliens apprehended in the enforcement operation were informed of their right to a hearing before an immigration judge and their right to communicate with consular or diplomatic officers from their country.  All were allowed attorney visits, and provided with a listing of pro bono legal representatives.  ICE also made arrangements to grant consular access to aliens being processed at the Ft. Devens site.  Consular officers from Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador met with nationals from their countries.  Broad access to attorneys is again available to each arrestee at the ICE facilities in El Paso and Harlingen, Texas.  All arrestees are provided information about local pro bono legal services and are provided toll-free telephone access to facilitate that communication.  Immigration courts are located both in El Paso and Harlingen and detainees may present information to an immigration judge regarding their family circumstances.

ICE believes these many efforts underscore ICE’s commitment to assist detainees who have childcare responsibilities.