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Arrested Lansdowne workers released by ICE
Many of the Latin American workers arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities at the exclusive Lansdowne Resort earlier this month have been released from custody, according to people who have spoken with several of those arrested.
Lisa Johnson-Firth is an attorney with Immigration and Human Rights Group LLC, representing five of the people detained on charges of possessing fraudulent immigration documents. She said April 18 that ICE released two of her clients and she was confident at least two more would be let go soon. Each, though, still faces deportation, she said.
She also was told that other Lansdowne workers were released, many with “no bond” requirements placed upon them, but she did not know how many.
ICE did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Laura Valle, an advocate for the local immigrant community, said she has been providing translation services to three of the workers released by ICE.
They told her all but five of the 59 people arrested at Lansdowne have been let go. Those still under arrest, she was told, had been previously deported from the United States and had re-entered.
Johnson-Firth speculated one reason for the mass release is lack of room.
“ICE has no bed space,” she said.
Another reason, she added, is that at the time of the arrests, some may not have had their documentation with them.
“Later on, a family member might have produced a green card,” she added.
Before quickly directing a reporter to another office, one ICE spokesperson said there are “alternatives” to jail for some illegal immigrants. Subsequent calls to ICE to get the status of the workers were not returned.
ICE does acknowledge on its Web site, though, that due to limited bed space, it is forced to release some illegal immigrants on their own recognizance who do not pose a risk to the public.
On April 8, ICE arrested 59 workers at the luxury hotel and golf club east of Leesburg on charges of using fake or stolen immigration documents to obtain work.
ICE officials began their investigation last summer by inspecting Lansdowne's I-9 employment forms, which document whether someone is legally allowed to work in the country.
A press statement released by ICE immediately following the raid said all those detained were “nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina” and all faced “removal proceedings.”
When asked through Valle, the three workers she is aiding declined to be interviewed or give their names, but they did give Valle permission to speak for them, and one provided a copy of his “Order of Release on Recognizance” to the Times-Mirror.
The document, with the name blocked out and dated April 15, said he cannot associate with a known gang or commit a crime. He also is not allowed to change residences without written permission from a deportation officer. Failure to abide by these conditions “may result in revocation of your release,” according to the document.
When hearing of the workers' release, Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) took the opportunity to chastise Loudoun's Board of Supervisors for not adopting many of the anti-illegal immigrant measures he proposed in 2007, including one that would have required residents to show proof of residency to use county services.
“This board doesn't mind Loudoun being a landing zone for all the illegal aliens in the world,” he said, adding sarcastically, “It's nice to see that ICE now agrees with the majority of the board.”
Valle said nearly half of those arrested at Lansdowne are from the same village in El Salvador, including the men she is assisting.
After they were held for several days, the men told her, ICE took them by bus to Leesburg early last week and dropped them off with nine or 10 other Lansdowne workers in the middle of the night. At least 12 other workers, she was told, were transported in a second bus to Leesburg.
Spokespeople with the Leesburg Police Department and the county's Sheriff's Office were not aware of the workers' release.
Valle said the men she is assisting -- two brothers and a cousin -- were told to report back to a deportation officer once a month and they could apply for a work permit, a process that could take several months.
She said each intends to follow ICE's orders, but without the legal ability to work, she said, they feel stuck in limbo and full of unknowns for their respective futures.
“They are completely bewildered,” she said. “They don't know what's going on.”
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com
Yikes.... so why raid Lansdowne if you are going to just turn around and let the illegals go?
Posted by jesse
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If Loudoun's Board of Supervisors would just adopt the same policies as Prince William County has regarding checking and enforcing immigration status, it would seem me that we could stop these worthless raids and let up on harassing innocent people.
Posted by blindman
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This is exactly why the policies and procedures are IMPOSSIBLE for the employers and employees to navigate successfully. It is suggested that some of these people were released when family members showed up with their paperwork. What a joke and a waste of our tax dollar. Wouldn't ICE or someone in the government know if the people they just rounded up had green cards or not? Isn't that their job? If they don't know then how is Landsdowne or the Loudoun BOS supposed to manage the situation effectively and in a legal manner?
ICE disrupted hardworking innocent people because their own paperwork is wrong or incomplete or unreliable. They'll probably catch 2 real criminals after rousting all these people and businesses. This is akin to a time I, for one, had hoped we left behind. Joe McCarthy would be proud. It's just embarrassing. Get it straight and catch the bad guys rather than round up 60 innocent bystanders.
Posted by SomeGuy
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I challenge the Loudoun Times Mirror to find out (FOIA) what the total cost of all law enforecement expences were on this mission ? Taxpayers have a right to know how there money is wasted while taxes go up.
Posted by DandeWithTheWolf
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I find it truly appalling that they released any of these immigrants - and noone from ICE will speak out about this. Now we have 59 or so immigrants running around Loudoun County unemployed and looking to the Gvt to support them. I am sure that ICE does do their homework - I agree that all counties should check the immigration status of all immigrants. I also find it hard to believe that out of the blue family members show up with legal documentation. In this day and age if you have a green card and you listen to the news you carry this form of ID with you at all times, unless of course they dont watch the news or read the papers because they cannot understand English. If we lived in any of their countries we would have to speak their language and obey their laws why is it that we allow them to dictate to us and continue to allow illegals to reside here. The key word is illegal - do the American people that are supporting these people realize that the word illegal means breaking the law. If I as an American break the law, I would have to do the time, but if I as an illegal immigrant break the law I fall off the system and walk scott free. Give me a break people - Look back into your heritage - What were our forefathers fighting for yes our freedom, and that is why people come to America for freedom, but they want to fly their flags, they want to speak their language and send the money they earn here back home to their countries. Where will this leave future generations of American children, our children, grandchildren. We the white/black Americans are now becoming a minority. I feel for the white American man, he has no recourse. Our Government needs to open their eyes and stop this!
Posted by ProudAmerican
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ProudAmerican,
Look back at your heritage and realize that all of us, except Native Americans, come from immigrant lineage. Our forefathers came here to flee persecution of all kinds. They founded a nation built by immigrants for immigrants. Read the inscription at the Statue of Liberty. That's what this country is about. The world's huddled masses are welcome here to pursue happiness and liberty.
How often do our police officers pull someone over on a traffic stop and the driver left their driver's license at home? Much more often than you think. Carrying your papers everywhere seems like a no brainer but not everyone is as together as you are.
Also, if you've ever traveled outside the U.S. you would realize that everyone, and I do mean everyone, around the globe speaks English so we are not forced to learn a new language if we emigrate.
These people who were caught up erroneously in a "sting" that turned into a flop aren't holding their hands out for the government to support them. They are going to go back to the jobs or similar jobs to support themselves and their families which is all they wanted in the first place. It's what they were doing, not living off the government. They were doing the jobs no one else will do. Has Landsdowne found 59 new employees that aren't immigrants? I doubt it.
After all the hype and destruction of personal lives, 5 actual illegal immigrants were rounded up. Good. Send them home. They deserve to be punished. No one disagrees with that but quit believing that every "brown skin" is an illegal alien living here for free. ICE needs to get there paperwork in order before embarking on a mission like this again. It's pretty embarrassing.
Posted by SomeGuy
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To: ProudAmerican-
I'm so tired of hearing how our forefathers were all immigrants and that's how this country was built...yes, they were legal immigrants, they came into this country LEGALLY...why don't you understand that??? The are welcome here to pursue happiness and liberty provided they due it legally!!!
Posted by Kurtsterling
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