INS Bust: Raid at Syracuse firm nets 28 illegal aliens
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Syracuse - Twenty-eight employees of Rinker Boat Company were removed by immigration officials for alleged illegal employment Thursday morning.
The raid by the Immigration and Naturalization Service began about 8 a.m.
Of the 35 or so employees rounded up, seven were able to provide identification and were back at work today, said company controller John Peat.
The suspected illegal workers were taken to the National Guard Armory in Elkhart and then the South Bend airport. They were flown to San Antonio, Texas, where they were likely deported, Peat said.
A spokesman for INS was not available, but a press statement from the department said 28 workers, including two women, were taken away.
The statement said the agency has no evidence the company had been acting improperly.
"They came in with about 35 officers, surrounded the place and then went through and collected employees," said company controller John Peat.
All of the workers taken away were Hispanic, Peat said.
One worker tried to flee and was slightly injured when he tried to scale a barbed wire fence intended to keep intruders off company property, Peat said.
The raid turned into an emotional issue for many of the people involved. "It was not a pretty sight," Peat said.
INS agents brought with them a list of suspects, but broadened its interrogation after arriving, he said.
"They talked to anybody they thought might be an alien ... They were talking to all sorts of people and wanting to see some I.D.," Peat said.
The manufacturer of fiberglass boats employs about 230 people. Peat said the raid marks the first such event he can recall in his six years with the company.
INS officials visit the company annually to review paperwork, he said.
Peat said he and others were aware of similar raids this year in Elkhart County.
"We've been kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop," Peat said.
He said Rinker follows government regulations in its hiring practices, and said all of the suspected employees had identification that appeared correct.
Peat said he understands the government's position, but empathizes with the worker's families.
"It's unfortunate. I feel for their families that didn't even get a chance to say anything to them (before being taken away)," he said.
Radio reports carried the story almost immediately.
The company received a larger than normal influx of job applicants Thursday and today, Peat said. [[In-content Ad]]
Syracuse - Twenty-eight employees of Rinker Boat Company were removed by immigration officials for alleged illegal employment Thursday morning.
The raid by the Immigration and Naturalization Service began about 8 a.m.
Of the 35 or so employees rounded up, seven were able to provide identification and were back at work today, said company controller John Peat.
The suspected illegal workers were taken to the National Guard Armory in Elkhart and then the South Bend airport. They were flown to San Antonio, Texas, where they were likely deported, Peat said.
A spokesman for INS was not available, but a press statement from the department said 28 workers, including two women, were taken away.
The statement said the agency has no evidence the company had been acting improperly.
"They came in with about 35 officers, surrounded the place and then went through and collected employees," said company controller John Peat.
All of the workers taken away were Hispanic, Peat said.
One worker tried to flee and was slightly injured when he tried to scale a barbed wire fence intended to keep intruders off company property, Peat said.
The raid turned into an emotional issue for many of the people involved. "It was not a pretty sight," Peat said.
INS agents brought with them a list of suspects, but broadened its interrogation after arriving, he said.
"They talked to anybody they thought might be an alien ... They were talking to all sorts of people and wanting to see some I.D.," Peat said.
The manufacturer of fiberglass boats employs about 230 people. Peat said the raid marks the first such event he can recall in his six years with the company.
INS officials visit the company annually to review paperwork, he said.
Peat said he and others were aware of similar raids this year in Elkhart County.
"We've been kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop," Peat said.
He said Rinker follows government regulations in its hiring practices, and said all of the suspected employees had identification that appeared correct.
Peat said he understands the government's position, but empathizes with the worker's families.
"It's unfortunate. I feel for their families that didn't even get a chance to say anything to them (before being taken away)," he said.
Radio reports carried the story almost immediately.
The company received a larger than normal influx of job applicants Thursday and today, Peat said. [[In-content Ad]]