Council Bluffs store raided; 16 illegal immigrants arrested (Omaha World-Herald)

Council Bluffs store raided; 16 illegal immigrants arrested
Published Wednesday March 26, 2008
BY CINDY GONZALEZ
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITIER

Federal immigration agents raided a Council Bluffs clothing company today and arrested 16 workers for allegedly being in the country illegally.
The 11 women and 5 men were "rank and file" employees of American Clothing Co., 3211 Nebraska Ave., said Tim Counts, spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Calls to the company were not answered this morning.
Counts said the alleged undocumented workers were mostly from Mexico; two were from El Salvador. They were picked up on administrative immigration violations that were not criminal in nature, Counts said.
The two-hour work site enforcement operation began at 8:40 a.m. Work at the company halted while employees were questioned, Counts said.
Those arrested were being fingerprinted and processed Wednesday at the Homeland Security building in east Omaha. As is the case with administrative violations, the workers will have the opportunity to a hearing before an immigration judge before deportation.
Counts said the raid was part of an ongoing investigation.
"There is nothing random, nothing spontaneous about this," he said.