Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents conducted a multicounty raid on illegal immigrants on Thursday, detaining more than 50 workers at eight area businesses.
The early morning raid targeted employees of the Jones Industrial Network, a Baltimore City-based temporary employment agency. The raid comes on the heels of Wednesday?s sentencing of popular Baltimore sushi restaurant owner Tzu Ming Yang, 49, to five months in federal prison for harboring illegal aliens.
“This is the result of a yearlong investigation into illegal immigrants working out of the port of Baltimore,” said acting special agent Jim Dinkins from the Baltimore office of ICE.
“Over 50 illegal immigrants working have been detained and are being processed,” he said.
Dinkins said the raid began at Jones Industrial Network offices early Thursday morning. The Baltimore-based company employs immigrants and contracts their services to other companies.
“Jones Industrial Network is the only target of the criminal investigation ? all the other businesses involved are cooperating fully.”
On Thursday, no one answered the door at the Jones Industrial Network offices.
Advocates for immigrants said the raid targeted women and mothers.
“They are tearing families apart, they are separating mothers from children, some of them U.S citizens,” said Juan Carlos Ruiz, spokesman for the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a Washington-based advocacy group.
“The school called me to pick up my brother because my mother wasn?t there,” said Daysi Lopez, 24, whose mother was detained before she could pick up Lopez?s 7-year-old brother Marco.
“We believe they primarily targeted women, two of whom may be pregnant,” said Elizabeth Allen, spokesman for the advocacy group CASA de Maryland.
ICE officials confirmed that a woman who is eight months pregnant was taken to the hospital after she was detained.
Business targeted in federal immigration raid
» Jones Industrial Network, located in Baltimore City
» Under Armour, located in Anne Arundel County
» Tessco Technology, located in Baltimore County
» Dixie Printing and Packaging Corporation, Anne Arundel County
» Pritchard Brown, located in Baltimore City
» BP Castro, located in Baltimore County
» C Steinweg, located in Baltimore City
» Baltimore Metal and Commodities, located in Baltimore County
» Beacon Stevedoring, located in Baltimore City
