Friday, March 28, 2008

Agents raid restaurant



Agents raid restaurant

Immigration agents on Thursday arrested eight Sarpy County restaurant workers who they suspect are in the country illegally.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Tim Counts said the work site enforcement operation at Azteca Restaurant, 9429 S. 142nd St., occurred shortly before the lunch hour.

Six men and two women from Mexico and El Salvador were arrested on administrative immigration violations that were not criminal offenses, Counts said.

It was the second immigration raid in the Omaha area in as many days.

Wednesday, a months-long investigation into American Clothing Co., 3211 Nebraska Ave. in Council Bluffs, led to the arrests of 16 undocumented workers. All of those workers were being held on administrative immigration violations also.

Counts called the timing coincidental.

He said the cases were separate investigations that happened to culminate the same week. Such work site immigration raids, however, have increased over the past several years.

"The public should expect additional work site enforcement operations," Counts said. "We do have other investigations under way."

The Sarpy County Sheriff's Office assisted Immigration agents in Thursday's operation. — Cindy Gonzalez

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