Federal agents arrested 11 Mexican and three paperless Guatemalans on Wednesday during an operation in the town of Madison, Nebraska.
The arrests, led by personnel of the Special Investigations Unit (HSI) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), were carried out at D&D Industrias, a company that builds several types of pallets and platforms (wooden pallets for loading goods ).
The 14 undocumented workers were arrested for immigration violations. According to ICE, detainees remain in custody pending the disposition of their immigration cases.
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Residents close to the plant said they saw a white helicopter with no visible markings flying near the raid at about 9 AM on Wednesday.
Six hours later, Madison High School wrote in its Twitter social network account that "it will provide a space for the Hispanic Center and other representatives who wish to help families."
The Immigrant Legal Center in Omaha told Univision News that it was providing assistance to detainees and the families of workers affected by the raid.
The organization said âdetails of the raid are still emergingâ, but that so far it only confesses that 14 people were arrested Wednesday.
"Our advocacy representatives are in the area of ââimpact, and we are identifying people in need of consultations and other immigration services," they said in their Facebook social network account. âILC supports immigrants who have been arrested / in detention, inside and outside the workplace. If you or someone you know is being detained, you are welcome to get involved with our Free Project for the Detained by completing and submitting the entry form. This form is attached in this announcement. For more information on security planning and your rights, please refer to our Rights and Planning Guide on our page, and check our page for more immigration news, âhe added.
What does ICE say?
The Immigration and Customs Office (ICE) confirmed Univision News participated in the operation along with special HSI agents.
âDuring this operation, 14 illegal aliens were found and administratively arrested for immigration violations. Of the 14 men arrested, 3 are from Guatemala and 11 from Mexico, âthe federal agency added.
ICE also said that "under federal law, employers must verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons they hire, and document that information using the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form."
He said that this type of operation in the workplace "will continue to focus on criminal prosecution of employers who break the law knowingly, and the use of I-9 audits and civil fines to encourage compliance with the law."
He also said that in this type of raids "evidence of the mistreatment of workers is sought, along with evidence of traffic, smuggling, shelter, visa fraud, identification document fraud, money laundering and other criminal behavior."
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