U.S. nabs 58 illegal aliens at Fort Bragg
Most were doing construction work
Published: Wed, Jul. 19, 2006 12:00AM
Modified Wed, Jul. 19, 2006 02:53AM
E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeFederal agents on Tuesday arrested 58 illegal immigrants, most of whom were working in construction, at Fort Bragg.
The men, who were doing masonry, plumbing, roofing and other construction work, were detained at the base's gates after officers checked for valid identification.
Tuesday's arrests appear to be part of a broader effort by federal officials to keep illegal immigrants off military bases.
More Local & State
Julie Myers, an assistant secretary of U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement about the arrests that the agency has made a "record number" of arrests this year of illegal immigrant workers.
"Our commitment to protecting the nation's critical infrastructure and enforcing immigration law remains strong," Myers said.
Within the past 12 months, Fort Bragg officials have detained 152 others who attempted to gain access to the base with false identification, said Tom McCollum, a Fort Bragg spokesman.
Last July, 48 illegal immigrants were arrested at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro.
Similar dragnets have led to arrests at military bases in Louisiana, New Mexico and California.
McCollum said the dragnet focused on contractors.
"They have got to abide by the immigration and employment laws," McCollum said. "If we find they are in violation, we can bar them from doing business on Fort Bragg."
However, despite the almost 200 arrests in the last year, McCollum said he was not aware of any companies barred from the base for hiring illegal immigrants.
Staff writer Andrea Weigl can be reached at 829-4848 or aweigl@newsobserver.com.
Get it all with convenient home delivery of The News & Observer.
The News & Observer is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since The News & Observer does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The News and Observer.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking on the exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.
