36 arrested in Mishawaka immigration raid

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By The Associated Press | Wednesday, March 07, 2007 | (1 comment(s))

MISHAWAKA, Ind. | An immigration raid at a factory that makes Fiberglas-reinforced plastic products led to the arrests of 36 workers suspected of being undocumented aliens.

More than 50 agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided Janco Composites on Tuesday with a warrant that allowed them to interview workers and check their records.

ICE spokeswoman Gail Montenegro said 36 workers -- 35 of them Mexican nationals, and one from El Salvador -- were arrested. They were taken away in large bus to a Broadview, Ill., center where customs agents interviewed and fingerprinted them.

The arrests come more than three weeks after Etzel Ortiz Partida, 27, was arrested, accused of using someone else's Social Security number to gain and keep her job at Janco, where she was hired in 2001, along with obtaining an Indiana driver's license and ID card.

Ortiz Partida, a Mexican citizen, remains in the St. Joseph County Jail.

More than 250 people work at the factory, according to the company's Web site.

Hours after the raid, a South Bend church held a prayer vigil for the detainees.

The Rev. Christopher Cox, pastor of South Bend's St. Adalbert and St. Casimir churches, said his parishioners could be among the arrested.

"Basically we are saying these are husbands, wives, children," he said.

The phone rang unanswered at Janco Wednesday morning.

Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com

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Angry wrote on Mar 13, 2007 11:38 AM:

" All illegal aliens, are a burden to our Cities, Towns, Counties, Health Care Systems and States. I don't know what part of Illegal they don't understand. if a Legalized citizen of this country commits a crime we are arrested and maybe even spend time in jail. This rule should be no different for illegal aliens. I for one would love to see the government go from house to house, street by street, city by city and round up all illegal aliens and send them all back where they come from. The next large Illegal rally, I would have the National Guard out there rounding all the marchers up and checking for Documents. Those not documented would be gathered together and booted out and back to where they came from. Also our borders should have a new rule. If you try crossing illegally them the boarder guards should shoot to kill. This rule would stop a lot of Illegal from entering. "

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