THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996 TAG: 9603300318
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: ARLINGTON LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Recent federal raids on Virginia businesses snared 128 illegal workers, including 10 in Virginia Beach and 21 working at a Woodbridge concrete company, immigration officials said Friday.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service has staged a series of raids since January across the state and in Washington, INS regional director William Carroll said at a news conference. ``One of our top priorities is work site enforcement,'' Carroll said.
Many of the businesses raided were turned in by legal workers angry that their jobs might be taken by illegal immigrants, Carroll said.
The Mexican and El Salvadoran workers caught at Alban and Carosi Inc. of Woodbridge are awaiting deportation in a Fredericksburg jail, Carroll said.
Company spokesman Nick Carosi did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.
Businesses caught hiring illegal workers face fines of $200 to $2,000 per violation, Carroll said. Workers generally face deportation. INS agents found some illegal workers earning more than the minimum wage.
``The problem we have uncovered is extensive. Although Washington had been viewed as the focal point of illegal immigrants, they have been found from Norfolk to Fredericksburg to Richmond,'' he said.
Ten illegal workers were arrested in Virginia Beach Friday morning as part of the crackdown, Carroll said. The raids turned up workers from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Canada, Carroll said.
KEYWORDS: ILLEGAL ALIEN ILLEGAL WORKERS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS by CNB