21 held in immigration raid, 2nd time in month that agents arrest workers at project site on Maui

21 held in immigration raid, 2nd time in month that agents arrest workers at project site on Maui
Honolulu Advertiser Staff
September 24, 2008

HONOKOWAI, Maui — Twenty-one illegal immigrant workers were arrested Monday at the luxury Honua Kai construction project by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
It was the second time in a month that immigration agents encountered illegal workers at the Honokowai construction site. On Aug. 20, 23 illegal immigrants from three companies were arrested, including 13 who worked for subcontractor Global Stone Inc. of Orem, Utah.

All of the workers picked up Monday worked for Global Stone Inc., according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Advertiser was unable to contact the company.
The 21 men taken into custody include 12 from Mexico, eight from Brazil and one from Slovakia, the agency said. They are undergoing deportation proceedings.

Wayne Wills, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations in Hawai'i, said in a statement that it was troubling "to receive reports about unauthorized aliens working for Global Stone Inc. despite prior enforcement actions."

U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo said in a statement that companies pleading ignorance of workers' immigration status should "think again, because if there is enough evidence we will aggressively pursue all available remedies to address this issue."

Before Monday's arrests, Kubo had reported 120 worksite arrests since December, mostly involving construction and farm workers. Wills would not comment on whether the company is facing prosecution, because the investigation is ongoing. Kubo was not available yesterday to say whether any employers in Hawai'i have been penalized for hiring undocumented workers.
Honua Kai is a 38-acre beachfront project comprising two condominium towers and a total of 700 condo and townhome units.

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7 arrested Mexicans free to find jobs after agreeing to aid probe

Illegal workers given permits
7 arrested Mexicans free to find jobs after agreeing to aid probe
September 21, 2008
Staff Writer, Honolulu Advertiser

Last week, Floro Mendez-Sanchez, an admitted illegal immigrant from Mexico, was locked away in Honolulu's Federal Detention Center, facing up to six months in prison and deportation for using false identity papers to work as a farm laborer in Waipahu.

This week, Mendez-Sanchez, 24, is out of jail, living at the YMCA and holder of a temporary work permit issued by the federal government that allows him to legally look for a new job.

Mendez-Sanchez and six others still face prison time and deportation, but because they pleaded guilty to immigration crimes and agreed to cooperate in an ongoing federal investigation of the company that employed them, they have temporary liberty and permission to enter Hawai'i's workforce.

It's part of what U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren, who has approved a handful of the plea deals, said in court Wednesday is an "extraordinary" new development for law enforcement agencies targeting companies and middlemen that profit from the employment of illegal aliens in the Islands.

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Immigration Agents Raid Maui Construction Site

Immigration Agents Raid Maui Construction Site
Contractor For Project Targeted Before
August 20, 2008
KITV.com

HONOLULU -- Federal immigrations agents raided another construction site Wednesday on Maui and arrested 22 people suspected of being illegal immigrants.

The raid happened at the Honua Kai Resort at Kaanapali, Maui.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agent In Charge Wayne Wills said the 22 workers put into custody for potential deportation came from several Latin American countries.

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43 caught in raid: Arrested in Waipahu, the Mexican citizens are suspected illegal migrants

By Ken Kobayashi
The Star Bulletin
July 22, 2008

Federal agents arrested 43 suspected illegal immigrants Sunday in a raid at a Waipahu apartment complex, immigration officials said yesterday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed nine search warrants at the Oasis Apartments and arrested the 43 men, all Mexican citizens, who were employed by the Farms, an agricultural business, officials said.

The men are being held at the federal detention center pending hearings to deport them back to Mexico.

Wayne Wills, special agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs office here, said 43 is the largest number arrested this year in a workplace case.

In May, immigration agents arrested 22 suspected illegal immigrant workers at two chain restaurants on Maui. And in December, immigration officials arrested 19 foreign nationals on immigration charges at a downtown construction site and a Halawa warehouse.

Wills said the arrests are part of an ongoing pursuit of employers who violate the country's hiring laws.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is determining whether to file criminal charges in cases in which the men provided false information to get hired, immigration officials said. Those criminal charges carry up to five years in prison, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Hino.

The Farm officials could not be reached for comment.

Wills said Sunday's arrests occurred without incident. The U.S. Marshals Service, the state Sheriff's Division and the U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service assisted, he said.

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