ICE Featured on "Extreme Smuggling" Television Show

Semi-submersibles, ultralight planes, rigged cars, underground tunnels, and catapults; these are just some of the devious methods used by drug smugglers to get their products across our borders. It is this kind of diabolically inventive thinking that the special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) must contend with every day.

In the premiere episode of Extreme Smuggling, which aired Monday, January 14, 2013 on the Discovery Channel, former smugglers, law enforcement and military professionals gave first-hand accounts of their experiences in the ongoing war against the drug trade.  Future episodes will explore the extremes to which criminals will go in their efforts to smuggle everything from narcotics to exotic animals, and the people whose job it is to stop them. 

Tune in every Monday at 8/7c through February 4th for new episodes of Extreme Smuggling.

Episodes will be repeated throughout the week. Check your local listings for times.

Attorney Alex Meyerovich Speaks Out Against Human Trafficking

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- M.C. Law Group Attorney Alex Meyerovich spoke out recently against the rise of human trafficking, also known as "modern day slavery," in the United States.

Reported cases of human trafficking have risen 60% in 2011 compared to 2010, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (HTRS). In fact, reported cases of human trafficking have been steadily increasing for the last five years. Attorney Meyerovich offered a simple explanation for this increase in human trafficking during a recent interview with Connecticut News12.

"Human trafficking is a lucrative business. It generates billions," said Attorney Meyerovich of the industry.

Human trafficking occurs when a victim is held hostage and forced to work against their will. Victims are commonly coerced into becoming commercial sex workers, drug traffickers, or laborers in unregulated industries. Additionally, these victims are often held in deplorable conditions, and suffer physical and sexual abuse.

Local attorneys like Meyerovich are speaking out alongside lawmakers to raise awareness about this prolific, but often unnoticed, human rights issue. In fact, Senator Richard Blumenthal recently joined with Senator Robert Portman of Ohio to co-chair the Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking. The caucus will provide a platform for its thirteen members to combat human trafficking and promote increased awareness about this serious issue.

"This kind of modern day slavery is intolerable," Senator Blumenthal told Connecticut News 12. "These people are treated as inhuman."

Human trafficking goes unnoticed by most citizens because victims are often hidden in plain sight. Traffickers prey on society's most vulnerable, targeting children and young girls, disabled individuals, and illegal immigrants. These vulnerable victims are not likely to seek help for fear of retribution: if they attempt to escape or alert authorities, they suffer horrific abuse and threats of violence -- or worse.

"If they don't obey, they're likely to be killed," Meyerovich said of the impossible situation these victims are placed in.

Attorney Meyerovich, whose firm specializes in immigration law, knows how particularly susceptible illegal immigrants are to human traffickers. Meyerovich explained that immigrants pay alien smugglers exorbitant fees to be brought into the U.S. illegally. Once they arrive, the smugglers demand additional payment for their services, which immigrants cannot afford. They are then coerced into forced labor to repay their "debts," and are held hostage indefinitely. Victims are constantly intimidated with threats of being reported to immigration enforcement, and even the murder of themselves and their loved ones.

"These immigrants risk everything for a better life in the U.S., and instead are forced to endure a nightmare of unimaginable abuse when they arrive," said Attorney Meyerovich. "They are scared, often don't speak English, and have no knowledge that U.S. immigration laws protect victims of human trafficking, regardless of their legal status."

However, U.S. citizens are just as vulnerable to being forced into labor in their own country. While HTRS reports 70% of labor trafficking victims are undocumented immigrants, 80% of sex trafficking victims are U.S. citizens.

"Most American citizens would react with fury and outrage if they knew about it," Senator Blumenthal commented.

Local attorneys like Meyerovich and prominent lawmakers like Senator Blumenthal hope that increased awareness about human trafficking will help turn the tide against modern day slavery. To learn more about human trafficking, including how to recognize victims and report suspected cases, visit the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. To learn more about Senator Blumenthal's involvement in the Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking, visit his official website.

To watch the full interview featuring Attorney Meyerovich and Senator Blumenthal, watch the video below.

Massachusetts Companies Fined by ICE for Illegal Immigration and Employment Practices

Following an investigation and audit of Form I-9 documents by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), 17 Massachusetts employers were fined a total of $349,619.54 in fiscal year (FY) 2012 for various employment violations.

The inspection of the employers' documents is part of HSI's worksite enforcement strategy that launched in 2009 to reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect employment opportunities for the nation's lawful workforce. This strategy focuses agency resources on the investigation and audit of employers suspected of cultivating illegal workplaces by hiring workers who are not authorized to work.

Employers are required to complete and retain a Form I-9 for each individual they hire. This form requires employers to review and record the individual's identity and employment eligibility document(s) and determine whether the document(s) reasonably appears to be genuine and related to the individual. Additionally, an employer must ensure that the employee provides certain information regarding his or her eligibility to work, on the Form I-9.

Fines in Massachusetts in FY 2012 include:

·                             Alliance for Affordable Housing Inc. of Everett was fined $888.25;

·                             Amex Inc. of East Boston was fined $70,000;

·                             Bread & Company Inc. of Everett was fined $9,804;

·                             Cap Seafood Inc. of New Bedford was fined $9,804;

·                             Danco Retail Food Outlet Inc. of Worcester was fined $935;

·                             Fruitlands Restaurant, Inc., aka Sorrento's Pizza, of Harvard was fined $2,805;

·                             Jae's Spice of Pittsfield was fined $3,000;

·                             Leechen Restaurant Inc. of Lawrence was fined $9,441.63;

·                             Metropolitan Linen Services Corp. of Everett was fined $13,635.19;

·                             Northern Pelagic Group LLC (NORPEL) of New Bedford was fined $151,200;

·                             Ocean Crest Seafoods of Gloucester was fined $9,000;

·                             Panda House Inc. of Westfield was fined $4,675;

·                             Pier Fish Company Inc. of New Bedford was fined $2,200;

·                             Quality Workforce Inc. of Brockton was fined $26,881.25;

·                             Samar Company Inc. of Stoughton was fined $33,786.22;

·                             Sampco Inc. of Pittsfield was fined $550; and

·                             STAT Products Inc. of Ashland was fined $1,014.

"These settlements serve as a reminder to employers that HSI will continue to hold them accountable for hiring and maintaining a legal and compliant workforce," said Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of HSI Boston. "We encourage employers to take the employment verification process seriously, as we expand the number of audits we are conducting throughout Massachusetts each year. My agency will continue to focus its attention on employers that are knowingly employing illegal workers and will continue to target specific industries and businesses known or alleged to hire illegals."

During FY 2012, HSI conducted 35 inspections of employers' I-9 documents in Massachusetts, an increase over the 30 inspections conducted in FY 2011, 20 in FY 2010 and 17 in FY 2009.
In previous years, the fines in Massachusetts were:

·                             FY 2011: HSI issued fines for worksite violations against 11 companies totaling $175,420.25;

·                             FY 2010: HSI issued fines for worksite violations against three companies totaling $67,440; and

·                             FY 2009: HSI issued fines for worksite violations against one company totaling $9,753.

 

HSI worksite investigations

 

Effective worksite enforcement plays an important role in the fight against illegal immigration. HSI has developed a comprehensive worksite enforcement strategy that promotes national security, protects critical infrastructure and targets employers who violate employment laws or engage in abuse or exploitation of workers.

An effective worksite enforcement strategy must address both employers who knowingly hire illegal workers, as well as the workers themselves. In worksite cases, HSI investigators adhere to high investigative standards, including the following:

·                             HSI will look for evidence of the mistreatment of workers, along with evidence of trafficking, smuggling, harboring, visa fraud, identification document fraud, money laundering and other such criminal conduct; and

·                             HSI will obtain indictments, criminal arrests or search warrants, or a commitment from a U.S. attorney's office to prosecute the targeted employer before arresting employees for civil immigration violations at a worksite.

HSI also works with the private sector to educate employers about their responsibilities to hire only authorized workers and how to accurately verify employment eligibility, through such tools as the IMAGE program.

IMAGE program

 

Undocumented workers create vulnerabilities in today's marketplace by presenting false documents to gain employment, completing applications for fraudulent benefits and stealing identities of legal United States workers. To combat this, ICE initiated the IMAGE program in 2006. As part of the IMAGE program, ICE provides employers with education and training on proper hiring procedures, including use of employment screening tools such as E-Verify.

IMAGE certified employers also undergo an audit of their I-9 forms to ensure current employees are eligible to work in the United States.

Employers that are certified with ICE through the IMAGE program pledge to maintain a secure and stable workforce and curtail the employment of unauthorized workers through outreach and education. ICE recently revamped IMAGE, simplifying program requirements.

E-Verify

 

All IMAGE members must participate in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) E-Verify employment eligibility verification program. Through this program, employers can verify that newly hired employees are eligible to work in the United States. This Internet-based system is available throughout the nation and is free to employers. It provides an automated link to the Social Security Administration database and DHS immigration records.

Sentencing for Six Involved in Human Trafficking Ring

Six people were sentenced Thursday, May 24, for their roles in a conspiracy to harbor and transport illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas, and Robert Rutt, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston.

On May 24, the following co-conspirators were sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack: Petronilo Sanchez-Jimenez, 42, Norma Leticia Silva-Garcia, aka Norma Sanchez and Norma Rocha, 38, and Sandro Alvarez-Maldonado, 35, all from Edinburg, Texas; Oscar Garza-Perales, 28, from Wharton, Texas; and Tracy Howard, 47, and Christian Russo, 39, both from Houston.

Sanchez-Jimenez, who smuggled illegal aliens across the border and harbored them in stash houses located in the Rio Grande Valley, was sentenced to 87 months in prison. Silva-Garcia and Alvarez-Maldonado assisted Sanchez-Jimenez in harboring illegal aliens. Both received 67 and 51 months in prison, respectively. Howard and Russo, who began the smuggling operation by transporting aliens themselves, later recruited drivers for the organization. They were sentenced to respective sentences of 87 and 78 months in prison. Garza-Perales also recruited drivers and was sentenced to 71 months. The remaining 23 co-conspirators identified in this investigation are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.

The leader of the conspiracy — Armando Olmedo-Trevino, 47, of Wharton, Texas — is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16. According to his guilty plea, he and others engaged in a conspiracy to harbor and transport illegal aliens from Aug. 9, 2002, until his arrest Jan. 27. He began transporting aliens himself. He was caught transporting aliens on at least two occasions. Afterward, he became the leader, running the operation from his Wharton home.

With the exception of aliens smuggled across ranches in the Falfurrias, Texas, area, illegal aliens were picked up in the Edinburg area and transported north through a border patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias or Sarita, Texas. In most cases, no more than five illegal aliens were transported, hidden under blankets or luggage in between the seats of an SUV or minivan. However, in a few instances, illegal aliens were transported in other ways, such as in the trunk of a car. In June 2011, Olmedo and others modified a trailer with a false compartment that was intended to conceal up to 15 illegal aliens.

Over the course of the 10-year conspiracy, HSI special agents seized about 400 aliens being transported by the organization. The organization transported an estimated 40 aliens per month.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad W. Cowan and Jeffrey D. Preston, Southern District of Texas, are prosecuting this case.