In Ark., 24 suspected illegal immigrants arrested (AP c/o Forbes)

In Ark., 24 suspected illegal immigrants arrested

By JON GAMBRELL 05.01.08, 11:14 AM ET

LITTLE ROCK -
Federal agents arrested 24 suspected illegal immigrants working on a construction project near the Little Rock National Airport, but not inside the airport's secured areas, officials said Wednesday.
Agents raided a construction project at the site of Supermarine, a company that provides fuel and supplies to corporate and private aircraft. Temple Black, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at New Orleans, said the raid came as local police served an arrest warrant on Chance Coran, 25, a U.S. citizen facing a drunken-driving charge.
Coran worked as a supervisor for Naylor Concrete, an Oklahoma City company working on a project to build a new hangar and terminal for Supermarine. In a statement, Black said ICE got a tip that illegal immigrants worked for that contractor, and the agency decided to carry out a raid at the same time as local officers went to the site to arrest Coran.
Black said the raid came as part of ICE's effort to target illegal immigrants with access to critical areas like airports, military installations and nuclear power plants. However, the construction site is outside of the secured areas where the runways and terminal sit, said airport spokeswoman T.J. Williams.
"The illegal immigrants were taken back to the office and they're being processed," Black said.
Black identified 23 of those arrested as Mexican nationals, with one man from Peru. Mexican consul Andres Chao said officials from the Little Rock consulate began speaking to those arrested immediately after the raid.
"Their human rights were respected," Chao said. "They just want to wait (as) the immigration process continues to deportation."
A woman who answered the telephone at Naylor said no one was available to speak about the raids Wednesday afternoon. No one from the company returned a message for comment.
Black said ICE agents would investigate whether Naylor broke any laws in hiring the illegal immigrants. He said any charges against the company would be filed by the U.S. attorney's office in Little Rock.
John Mears, general manager of Supermarine, did not immediately return a call for comment.
Wednesday's raid comes two weeks after an immigration raid on a north Arkansas poultry plant. Agents arrested 21 suspected illegal immigrants at Pilgrims Pride Corp.'s plant in Batesville as part of a nationwide sweep against workers using illegally obtained Social Security numbers and driver's licenses.