Feds Arrest 23 New York Business Owners in Unauthorized Worker Ring (Fox News)

Feds Arrest 23 New York Business Owners in Unauthorized Worker Ring
By Joshua Rhett Miller
Published October 07, 2010 | FoxNews.com

Twenty-three New York City business owners have been arrested for their role in a "complex criminal scheme" that smuggled Chinese aliens into the U.S. to work at restaurants and other establishments, federal officials tell FoxNews.com.

James Hayes Jr., U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent in Charge for New York, said the aliens were often held in unsanitary conditions and were transported to and from the establishments daily. The eight-month investigation culminated on Wednesday and Thursday with arrests at the establishments, which were located in the city's Chinatown neighborhood.

"We anticipate at least one more [arrest]," Hayes told FoxNews.com, adding that the victims are believed to have paid up to $75,000 each to be smuggled into the United States from China.

Once in New York City, owners of employment agencies would place the aliens -- the majority of whom are male -- to work in restaurants, where they worked a variety of positions, Hayes said.

It was unclear how long the operation had been in existence.

Hayes said the arrests marked the agency's single-largest investigation of employers believed to have hired and utilized unauthorized workers in New York City. In fiscal year 2010, ICE officials arrested a total of 22 individuals in related crimes in New York City.

"We think this is a vulnerability," Hayes said. "We believe this is a priority for us and we think there could be other businesses whose business model is to exploit foreign workers to make profits."