Feds raid Scranton business (Philadelphia, Ernest: military, manufacturing, paycheck)

[NYRangers 2008]

Feds raid Scranton business
BY KIMM R. MONTONE
STAFF WRITER
10/26/2007

Federal agents arrested 52 people on alleged immigration violations Thursday morning during a raid of a city factory after a 10-month investigation.





U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered North American Manufacturing, 1075 Barring Ave., at 8:15 a.m., shut down production and asked employees to provide identification, said plant manager Joseph Wechsler.

Immigration officials arrested illegal immigrants from Mexico, Honduras and Uruguay, said Ernestine Fobbs, a spokeswoman with ICE.

A majority of those detained were processed in Philadelphia, where they will be fingerprinted, photographed and questioned, she said.

Some of the women were released for humanitarian reasons, such as child bearing. They will, however, have to appear before an immigration judge at a later date, Ms. Fobbs said.

The factory in the city’s Weston Field section, employs about 120 people, producing field and ammunition pouches and military cots.

Thursday’s raid shocked Mr. Wechsler, who said the company has used an Internet-based program to verify all of its employees’ Social Security numbers.

“You don’t expect to have state police at your door in the morning,” he said. “We’ve had people who were here 10 years (who were arrested).”

Family and friends of those arrested spent much of the afternoon coming to the Barring Avenue plant. Some picked up paychecks, relayed information and expressed outrage.

“It’s so ironic. They’re here making beds for soldiers in Iraq,” said Melissa Saavedra, 27, of Scranton, whose husband, Cayetano, was arrested. “It’s an injustice.”

She dreaded having to explain to her children that their father was arrested.

“These aren’t (illegal) immigration workers,” she said. “My kids don’t have their daddy, just this injustice.”

Contact the writer: kmontone@timesshamrock.com

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This is excellent. I'm so glad they're finally cracking down on illegals here in Scranton. If you break our laws, you should be punished, it's that simple. It really should come as no surprise to these people. They know they were doing wrong.