April 8, 2008

ICE nabs illegal workers at an affluent hotel resort in northern Virginia

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As part of ongoing efforts to secure our nation's borders through the discharge of interior law enforcement missions, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed an enforcement action at the luxurious northern Virginia resort.

This morning, ICE agents interviewed roughly 100 employees that resulted in the arrest of 53 immigration status violators working at the resort. Two females were released at the site for humanitarian concerns. Another six where apprehended outside of the facility bringing the total to 59.

This investigation started in early July 2007 after a routine inspection of all I-9 employment forms at the resort.

Through the expert analysis of the I-9 forms, ICE agents identified information that led them to suspect that many of the employees were using fraudulent documents or had stolen someone else's identity to secure employment at the resort. The investigation is still ongoing.

The 59 men and woman are nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina, and all face removal proceedings.

Today's enforcement action is part of ICE's nationwide aggressive pursuit of unauthorized workers and employers who violate the law," said Mark X. McGraw, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the ICE office of investigations in Washington, DC. Companies that use cheap, illegal alien labor as a business model should be on notice that ICE is dramatically enhancing its enforcement efforts against illegal employment schemes."

All of the immigration status violators arrested today will be interviewed by ICE personnel, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Immigration Health Services (DIHS) staff and offered access to Social Services to record any medical, sole-caregiver or other humanitarian situations.

Based upon these interviews, ICE will determine whether detainees remain in custody or are considered for humanitarian release.  In all cases, undocumented aliens will be fingerprinted and processed for removal from the United States.

-- 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.

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