35 Undocumented Workers Apprehended in INS Sweep

Two undocumented workers found at construction sites in Irvine and Coto de Caza awaited deportation hearings Friday, while 33 others opted to return to Mexico, an INS spokesman said.

Rico Cabrera, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, said the 35 workers were apprehended Tuesday at construction sites and were working for various contractors or subcontractors.

INS agents focused on two firms, Canyon Concrete Construction Inc., with offices in Norco, and ABR Custom Painting, with offices in Tustin, because of their past employment of undocumented workers, Cabrera said.

But in Tuesday’s raid, only two of the undocumented workers were employed by Canyon Concrete, and none worked for ABR.

Cabrera said all of the men were Mexican nationals.

On May 6, the INS and the Contractors State License Board arrested six employees of Canyon Concrete at an Irvine site.

An inspection of documents on June 19 found that 14 employees of the business used false Social Security and/or alien registration numbers on their work authorization forms, Cabrera said.

On May 6, the INS apprehended an employee of ABR Custom Painting as part of the same INS-State License Board investigation. A June 20 inspection of workers’ documents showed that 40 employees there used false documentation, Cabrera said.

On Oct. 1, two additional undocumented workers were found at ABR’s Irvine site, Cabrera said.

Fines for hiring undocumented workers can range from $250 to $10,000 per worker.

* 26 ARRESTED IN ROUNDUP: Illegal immigrants flee after van stops on freeway. B10