Raids snare 38 illegal aliens
By Doug Keeler
Published: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 2:01 PM CDT
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Midway Driller Editor
It started out as a simple code enforcement assignment for Kern County Sheriff's deputies and code enforcement officers Thursday afternoon.
It ended up as a major raid by deputies and federal immigration agents that led the apprehension and deportation of 38 undocumented aliens, all from Mexico, living at four locations in Ford City.
Deputies and code enforcement officers went to 216 Monroe St. to investigate code enforcement issues and found 18 men, all in this county illegally, living in a large room at the house.
“It was an (illegal alien) motel,” Sheriff's Sgt. Martin Downs said.
Downs contacted Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers who responded rapidly with a large bus.
The eighteen aliens detained on Monroe Street were loaded onto the bus, and deputies and ICE agents decided to check several more locations where aliens have been known to gather.
They went next to a house at 502 Tyler Street and found nine undocumented men.
They already had several detained from the house when three more walked up to the house and were taken into custody.
Next, a raid on a residence at 219 Van Buren turned up nine undocumented aliens and a fourth stop at a house on Buchanan Street added four more to the round-up.
The raids were halted only because they ran out of room on the bus.
All of the men detained were going to be taken to the United States-Mexican boarder and released into Mexico within about 12 hours.
Most are expected to get back into this country within a day or so, deputies and ICE agents said.
The structure the aliens were staying in on Monroe Street was an add-on to an existing home.
Downs said it contained cubicles for 18 people with a toilet and shower.
The men were paying $125 per month each for a spot in the structure, Downs said.
It was declared unsafe for occupancy by code enforcement officers.
“Deputies were surprised when they found so many people staying there.
“We went in and there was this group of people,” Downs said. “We just kept finding more and more and more of them.”
Instead of deputies holding the 18 men detained or just releasing them onto the street, Downs came up with a plan.
He contacted ICE officials in Bakersfield and they agreed to come pick the men up and stage raids at the other locations.
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