Immigration agents arrest 31 in courthouse sweep
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—About 20 cleaning workers from Central and South America remained in custody Wednesday after a sweep of six Rhode Island courthouses that targeted illegal immigrants, including some who investigators said used fake names and Social Security numbers to get hired.
Federal immigration agents on Tuesday night arrested 31 workers hired by two contractors for the state court system, Falcon Maintenance Co. and Tri-State Enterprises. Investigators say the employees are illegal immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Brazil.
The raid prompted an angry protest Tuesday evening outside the Providence office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from advocates expressing support for the workers and concern that immigrant families could be broken apart.
The raid targeted workers at courthouses in Providence, Newport, Cranston, Warwick and South Kingstown.
Federal authorities say the sweep was critical because the immigrants worked at courthouses where they could have had access to sensitive and personal information. They said, however, there was no evidence of a security breach.
"Simply put, illegal aliens using fake documents to work in the United States are a vulnerability to sensitive security sites," said Bruce Foucart, special-agent-in-charge of ICE's Office of Investigations in Boston.
Twelve of those arrested, including nine women, were conditionally released for what investigators said were child- or family-care reasons. The rest remain in custody while prosecutors determine whether criminal charges, such as identity theft and document fraud, are appropriate.
Federal authorities would not say whether the employers will face charges.
A lawyer for North Providence-based Tri-State Enterprises, Thomas R. DeSimone, said the company did everything possible to ensure its workers were legal, including requiring valid photo identifications and criminal background checks. He said the company would complete its own investigation.
A lawyer for Falcon Maintenance declined to comment because of the pending investigation.
The investigation began last month after the Rhode Island State Police learned the two vendors were hiring workers who had used fake identifications, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said.
Court system spokesman Craig Berke said state authorities were notified after a clerical staffer discovered a photocopied piece of identification, believed to be of one of the contracted employees, on the floor at a downtown Providence courthouse.
He said the court system was not preparing to cut ties with either vendor.
"We don't have any evidence that those companies have done anything wrong," he said.
The roundup came as an advisory panel assembled by Gov. Don Carcieri to monitor his executive order cracking down on illegal immigration was holding its first meeting. Authorities said the timing was a coincidence and the date of the raid was set well in advance.
"There was nothing put out as far as we're in the middle of doing a raid right now," said the Rev. Eliseo Nogueras, a panel member and president of the Hispanic Ministerial Association. "It was quite a shock when I left the meeting."
Nogueras, who attended the demonstration after leaving the meeting, said the arrests contributed to a climate of fear among the immigrant population, especially among children whose parents were in the country illegally and could now be deported.
"Families are being broken apart and the children right now, at least a couple I spoke with yesterday, they just don't know what's going to happen," he said.
