58 restaurant workers arrested after raids

A restaurant on Youngstown’s South Side was raided.

STAFF REPORT

CLEVELAND — Special agents with U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 58 restaurant employees on immigration violations after executing federal search warrants at eight Casa Fiesta restaurants throughout northern Ohio, including Youngstown.

The raids were announced Wednesday evening. Casa Fiesta is a chain of Mexican restaurants in Ashland, Fremont, Norwalk, Oberlin, Oregon, Sandusky, Vermillion, and Youngstown. This work site enforcement operation was the culmination of more than a yearlong investigation.

The Casa Fiesta in Youngstown is at 914 E. Midlothian Boulevard on the South Side. It wasn’t immediately clear how many employees were arrested at the business.

“ICE criminal work site enforcement investigations unfold in multiple stages,” said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit. “Executing criminal search warrants and administratively arresting unauthorized workers is just one step in the investigative process.” Moskowitz oversees Ohio and Michigan.

The four women and 54 men arrested Wednesday are all citizens of Mexico. Everyone detained is being medically screened and interviewed by ICE agents to determine if they have medical, sole-caregiver, or other humanitarian issues.

Three of the women were released on their own recognizance on humanitarian grounds. They are still required to appear before a federal immigration judge who will ultimately determine whether they have a legal right to remain in the United States.

ICE has established a local telephone number for family members to find out more information about the detention status of those arrested today. Family members may call: (216) 535-0510. ICE has also notified local community groups and the Mexico consular office about the operation.

Since its establishment in 2003, ICE has enhanced its efforts to combat the unlawful employment of illegal aliens in this country. ICE’s comprehensive strategy for work site enforcement is aimed at promoting national security and public safety, protecting critical infrastructure, and ensuring fair labor standards, according to the news release.

So far in fiscal year 2008 (October 2007 through July 12, 2008), ICE has made 949 criminal arrests in connection with work site enforcement investigations. Of those, 105 involve owners, managers, supervisors or human resources employees who face charges ranging from harboring to knowingly hiring illegal aliens.

In addition to the criminal arrests, ICE has made more than 3,500 administrative arrests for immigration violations during work site investigations in that same time frame. Last year, ICE made more than 4,900 arrests in work site enforcement cases, including 863 involving criminal violations.

In fiscal year 2007, ICE obtained more than $31 million in criminal fines, restitutions and civil judgments as a result of work site related enforcement actions, according to the news release.