[ad_1]
“It is the largest in our region in the last decade,” said Khaalid Walls, spokesman for ICE’s Northeastern region, which comprises Michigan, Ohio, and Upstate New York.
Tuesday’s arrests targeted employees of Corso’s Flower and Garden Center in Sandusky and Castalia, Ohio, Walls said.
About 200 ICE personnel were involved in the operations, which began at 7 a.m. and continued late into the evening, he said. Search warrants were served at both locations without incident, he said.
CNN contacted Corso’s by phone and email. A person answering the phones said no one was in the office and available to speak to CNN.
Homan also said that those actions would target both the employers and the employees in violation of immigration law.
“Not only are we going to prosecute the employers that hire illegal workers, we’re going to detain and remove the illegal alien workers,” Homan said.
“He did a good job and worked hard to provide for his family. He’s got a six-month-old daughter,” she added.
The investigation into Corso’s began in October 2017 with the arrest of a suspected document vendor, said Walls, the ICE spokesman. The majority of those arrested were Mexican nationals, he added, and some individuals were processed and released for humanitarian reasons.
Authorities are pursuing a bevy of allegations against Corso’s, including allegations of harboring illegal aliens, unlawful employment of aliens, false impersonation of a US citizen, fraud and aggravated identity theft, Walls said.
“If your business is operating legitimately, there’s nothing to fear,” said Steve Francis, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge. “If you are hiring illegal aliens as a business model, we will identify you, arrest you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
“We are a family-owned company committed to the highest level of quality and integrity in all that we do,” Corso’s says on its site.
[ad_2]
Source link