D
don Gabacho
Guest
Agents arrest illegal workers at construction site
By DEREK L. KINNER
Staff Writer
PALM COAST -- Three illegal immigrants are facing possible 25-year
prison terms and 37 others could be on their way home after U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents raided the Ocean
Towers construction site this week.
Immigration spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said the 40 people arrested
are from Honduras, Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico and Peru. They were
working for two subcontractors: Owen Electric Co. Inc. of St. Augustine
and Weston Coatings of Daytona Beach, Gonzalez said. Agents still were
investigating the case Thursday, she said.
"All facets of the incident are being evaluated," Gonzalez said. "In
general, if a company knowingly hires an illegal alien, they are
subject to criminal prosecution."
The three men facing possible prison terms -- Andres Melgar, Julian
Nieto and Cesar Quintanilla, all of Honduras -- were charged with
felonies because they returned to the U.S. after being deported,
officials said.
Gonzalez said the other 37 cases will be handled administratively, with
the people going before a judge who will decide whether they should be
deported. Those kinds of cases can take as little as a few weeks to as
long as years, she said.
"Companies that use cheap, illegal alien labor as a business model
should be on notice," said Robert W. Weber, ICE special agent-in-charge
in Tampa.
The illegal immigrants were working on phases 3 and 4 of the Ocean
Towers at 3 Ocean Crest Drive at Hammock Beach near Palm Coast. Bill
Knox, project manager for the contractor, ACI Construction Services,
said his company has nothing to do with hiring subcontractors'
employees.
"The burden is on the subcontractor to make sure they're hiring legal
residents," Knox said.
Knox said the arrests Tuesday slowed work only temporarily.
"It was a minor speed bump," he said. "They (subcontractors) have
already brought in people from other places to take care of what took
place."
Diego Handel, an attorney with the Daytona Beach law firm Glasser &
Handel, said use of illegal immigrants in Florida is "widespread" for
several reasons.
"I think it's more of the fact that you hear a lot of employers
complain in Florida that it's very tough to get good workers willing to
work," Handel said. "They (illegal immigrants) come from a country
where they can barely eke out a living. They show up, do good work,
sometimes get paid less than those who may have papers. Sometimes, they
(employers) pay them more than they would a U.S. citizen."
He said Florida is a popular destination because of rapid growth.
"Florida's booming. There's jobs all over the place, so people come,"
he said.
Part of Handel's practice is representing people in immigration cases.
"I think that to treat someone as a so-called criminal because they're
trying to work, something about it doesn't seem fair," Handel said.
Handel said construction industry employers find workers, including
illegal immigrants , in various ways, including through employment
agencies, labor pools and word of mouth.
By DEREK L. KINNER
Staff Writer
PALM COAST -- Three illegal immigrants are facing possible 25-year
prison terms and 37 others could be on their way home after U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents raided the Ocean
Towers construction site this week.
Immigration spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said the 40 people arrested
are from Honduras, Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico and Peru. They were
working for two subcontractors: Owen Electric Co. Inc. of St. Augustine
and Weston Coatings of Daytona Beach, Gonzalez said. Agents still were
investigating the case Thursday, she said.
"All facets of the incident are being evaluated," Gonzalez said. "In
general, if a company knowingly hires an illegal alien, they are
subject to criminal prosecution."
The three men facing possible prison terms -- Andres Melgar, Julian
Nieto and Cesar Quintanilla, all of Honduras -- were charged with
felonies because they returned to the U.S. after being deported,
officials said.
Gonzalez said the other 37 cases will be handled administratively, with
the people going before a judge who will decide whether they should be
deported. Those kinds of cases can take as little as a few weeks to as
long as years, she said.
"Companies that use cheap, illegal alien labor as a business model
should be on notice," said Robert W. Weber, ICE special agent-in-charge
in Tampa.
The illegal immigrants were working on phases 3 and 4 of the Ocean
Towers at 3 Ocean Crest Drive at Hammock Beach near Palm Coast. Bill
Knox, project manager for the contractor, ACI Construction Services,
said his company has nothing to do with hiring subcontractors'
employees.
"The burden is on the subcontractor to make sure they're hiring legal
residents," Knox said.
Knox said the arrests Tuesday slowed work only temporarily.
"It was a minor speed bump," he said. "They (subcontractors) have
already brought in people from other places to take care of what took
place."
Diego Handel, an attorney with the Daytona Beach law firm Glasser &
Handel, said use of illegal immigrants in Florida is "widespread" for
several reasons.
"I think it's more of the fact that you hear a lot of employers
complain in Florida that it's very tough to get good workers willing to
work," Handel said. "They (illegal immigrants) come from a country
where they can barely eke out a living. They show up, do good work,
sometimes get paid less than those who may have papers. Sometimes, they
(employers) pay them more than they would a U.S. citizen."
He said Florida is a popular destination because of rapid growth.
"Florida's booming. There's jobs all over the place, so people come,"
he said.
Part of Handel's practice is representing people in immigration cases.
"I think that to treat someone as a so-called criminal because they're
trying to work, something about it doesn't seem fair," Handel said.
Handel said construction industry employers find workers, including
illegal immigrants , in various ways, including through employment
agencies, labor pools and word of mouth.
