Ala. firm probed in Miss. immigration case (AP c/o Hattiesburg American)

Ala. firm probed in Miss. immigration case
2:43 PM, Mar. 24, 2011

Written by HOLBROOK MOHR

JACKSON — An Alabama business was raided this month as part of a federal probe that stems from suspected illegal immigrants working construction jobs at Keesler Air Force base in south Mississippi.

Federal immigration officials confirmed the March 17 raid on Hernandez Stucco in Alabaster, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. It's at least the third business targeted as part of the ongoing investigation, according to attorneys in the case. The other businesses were in Mississippi. Court records also said one of the defendants operated a company in Louisiana.

U.S. District Court records in south Mississippi indicate that a new indictment is coming, though it's not clear who the target is.

The telephone rang unanswered Thursday at a listed phone number for Hernandez Stucco. The phone number was provided by officials at Alabaster City Hall, where the company is registered. City officials said government policy prohibits them from providing the owner's name.

Danielle Bennett, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Wednesday that nobody was arrested during the raid on Hernandez Stucco.

The raid was made public Tuesday in a court filing by defense attorney Joe Sam Owen of Gulfport, who asked for a delay of the April 4 trial of three men already charged in Mississippi. The judge granted the motion Wednesday and then put the trial off until June 6.