3 arrested at restaurant freed (Jackson Clarion-Ledger)

3 arrested at restaurant freed
Six others held on immigration charges at Louisiana facility

Nicklaus Lovelady • nicklaus.lovelady@jackson.gannett.com • April 6, 2008

Three of the nine people arrested recently during a federal investigation into the hiring of illegal immigrants at a Flowood restaurant have been released.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested five men and two women from Indonesia, one man from Thailand and a male Chinese student - all employees - at Stix Japanese restaurant on March 28.
Agency spokesperson Temple Black said the student is in the U.S. legally on a student visa, but the visa prohibits him from working. The student and two women were released from jail.
The other men suspected of being in the country illegally were bused to the Tensas Parish Detention Center in Waterproof, La., where each will have hearings before an immigration judge.
The judge will determine if the men should be deported and will consider a variety of things in making his decision, Black said.
"If they are from a country where they think they will be killed once they return, they can ask the judge for political asylum, which would allow them to remain in the country," Black said. Black was not sure when the hearings would take place.
The day of the arrests, Stix had closed its doors, and phone calls to the business were unanswered. A recording at the business Saturday said it was closed for remodeling and should reopen in a couple of weeks once construction is complete.
Black said the investigation into the hirings is still under investigation and charges could be filed, but he would not say what kind.
Earlier this year, the Country Club of Jackson had to pay a $214,500 fine as part of punishment for hiring illegal immigrants and for various Social Security violations, U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton said.
The U.S. attorney's office filed a complaint saying the country club was knowingly employing illegal immigrants. In addition to the fine, the country club also will be audited by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and must establish a training program to detect fraudulent documents.
If the country club is in compliance, the federal government will seek a dismissal of the charges. If it fails to comply, the club would face a $3,000 fine for each illegal immigrant and another fine of up to $500,000 and one year of supervised release.