During the afternoon of last Wednesday, March 5, Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICEfor its acronym in English) carried out an operation at the facilities of a company north of Houston, Texaswhere they arrested 20 undocumented workers to transfer them to the processing center.
According to ICE authorities, the raid It was carried out after “significant discrepancies were detected in an audit”, which is used to verify identity and eligibility employees’ work foreigners In the United States, so the company will face a series of positions that will be revealed in the future.
The American television network that transmits in Spanish, Telemundohad the opportunity to interview the daughter of one of the employees who ended up detained in Houston, who said her family “lives a nightmare“After the arrest of his father in the operation against migration that was carried out in his workplace.
“My dad is not a criminal, we know that he was not on the list of priorities for ICE. He has already had more than three decades here in the United States and is taking medication for the cholesterol and the diabetesso we do not know how it will be there or if we are going to be able to visit him, “the firstborn argued.
What about ICE detainees?
Through a statement, the Customs Immigration and Control Agency (ICE) reported that the operation had been carried out due to suspicions of Violations to the labor laws of the United States, so those 20 undocumented immigrants They were arrested for violating administrative migration norms of that country.
According to varying migration lawyers, the strategy of ICE in the application of labor laws “focuses on prosecuting employers who hire illegally to undocumented workers “; for which, the agency of the Department of National Security imposes Fines civilians to promote compliance with the immigration law.
Read more: Migrant was arrested by ICE agents while leaving his children in the US School.
The administration of the Republican President, Donald Trumpconsider that these inspections “are a tool clue“To ensure that US companies operate within the legal framework, because ICE operations also seek to expose other crimes, such as traffic of people and money laundering.
However, despite regulating employment and detecting documentary fraud or labor exploitationthe raids leave several undocumented people in custody while determining their immigration situation; And in the case of companies, they will face sanctions to hire foreigners without authorization to work in the US.
The activity of the customs immigration and control service has increased considerably in Texas From the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House, so the operations aimed at areas with high concentration of undocumented migrants They have become a usual development within the State.
As stated by the American television network, Univisionone of the main spotlights of migratory raids has been the county of Libertynorth of Houstona sector that has been indicated for housing a large number of migrants in an irregular situation and being linked to various criminal activities.