The company that hired most of the illegal immigrants arrested at Dulles International Airport last week was also fined in 2004 for Clean Water Act violations in D.C. and Virginia.
Lane Construction Vice President Jay S. Cruickshank confirmed to The Examiner that it was the company that hired most of the 55 workers who were rounded up last week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. But he said the workers documents appeared legitimate and there was no way for the company to confirm their authenticity.
Eighteen months ago, the Connecticut-based company agreed to pay a $51,000 fine for Clean Water Act violations, according to the EPA. The company allegedly failed to reduce water pollution at its asphalt plants in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.
Now Lane Construction is under investigation possible immigration violations. Companies can be fined up to $2,000 for knowingly hiring illegal workers.
Federal authorities say they are cracking down on illegal immigrants at work sites that could be targeted by terrorists.
At Dulles, the Lane Construction employees worked in a secured area that homeland security chiefs say is a potential target for terrorists. None of the men arrested were involved in terrorist activity, they said.
Many of the illegal immigrants apparently applied to the jobs advertised in the newspaper by using fake social security cards and Virginia driver’s licenses, Cruickshank said. The documents appeared authentic, he said.
“We don’t have any way to disprove it,” Cruickshank said.
Many of the men who were handcuffed and detained last week have since produced identification showing they are able to work legally and are back on the job, Cruickshank said.
One worker had an airport security badge that grants unescorted access to the airport tarmac. The badge requires a government-issued form of ID, an FBI fingerprint and criminal background checks. Cruickshank didn’t know if the worker with the badge was later determined to be legal.
Jesse Wilson, owner of a Baltimore landscaping company whose 14 workers were arrested at Indian Head, said there was no way to tell whether the workers were illegal, but they were his hardest workers. His company is going to be more careful about hiring people who might be foreign, he said.
ICE officials said they aren’t releasing the names of the companies because their investigation is ongoing.
Background
» Lane Construction has completed more than $1 million in construction work at Dulles Airport, including a huge runway project.
» The company was fined two years ago for Clean Water Act violations, the EPA said.
» First-time violators can be fined up to $1,000 for hiring illegal immigrants and $2,000 for knowingly hiring illegal workers.
