Posted on 10/31/2004 10:14:37 AM PST by JackelopeBreeder
Charlotte, North Carolina, Oct 29 (EFE).- A round-up by authorities of undocumented immigrants has transformed a North Carolina municipality into a ghost town, its streets deserted and its factories begging for workers.
The Hispanic areas of Lincolnton, a town of almost 10,000 people located west of Charlotte, have been empty since Wednesday, when local police and Lincoln County sheriff's deputies arrested 24 undocumented immigrants working in three plants of RSI, a firm that manufactures and distributes household items.
"There's a lot of fear," Jorge Chavez, who runs an agency that sends goods to Costa Rica, told EFE. The undocumented immigrants were arrested for using fake social security numbers and identity theft.
"It's a problem of identity fraud," said sheriff's deputy Ronnie Matthews.
"Men and women from Costa Rica and Mexico were among those arrested," said Matthews, adding that 17 of the immigrants in custody were released after each of them posted $3,000 bond.
"This is an investigation that has been in the workings for several months," Lincolnton police detective Matt Painter told the Lincoln Times-News.
On Sept. 20, police arrested three people who falsified social security and residency cards in a Hispanic neighborhood. A fourth individual was subsequently arrested.
Two of these suspects were charged with trafficking stolen identities and the other two with identity fraud. When agents searched the mobile home where they found the fake documents, they found books with the names of more than 200 people who had bought social security and identification cards with the names of real people.
Police issued arrest warrants for 36 RSI employees and said the arrests will continue.
"The alarm is widespread. There are many people who didn't show up to their jobs," said Rebeca, who works at a local restaurant.
"A friend who was arrested told me the agents shouted that the arrests were not going to stop until people stopped using false papers," she added.
At the Centro Contacto Latino, Lincolnton's main Hispanic organization, activists said they felt discouraged and guarded.
"This is a small town where all the Hispanics know each other," said Elizabeth Chacon, head of the center. "We're like a family, and what we're doing is trying to help people," said Chacon.
RSI issued a press release about the arrests asking the media to contact the Lincolnton Police Department with any questions.
"We have an excellent relationship with the authorities involved," the statement said.
RSI employees said the factories were working at below capacity, noting that many other companies that employ Hispanics reported workers missing their shifts.
Local authorities said the Office of Immigration and Customs has yet to intervene in the case.
According to the most recent official census, Lincolnton's Hispanic population ballooned 518 percent in the 1990s. More than 5,000 Hispanics now live in Lincolnton, which is known as Little Costa Rica among area immigrants.
Ping!
LOL. I bet the local Wal-Mart there has already went out of business.
BullSh*t! We got more Mexicans than TiJuana! I work in Hickory NC and their IS no shortage.BTW.Lincolnton is right next door.
So who's going to cut the lawns and rake the leaves???
That's great news. They'll have to raise the pay scale to attract native workers.
Congratulations to the local authorities for taking action.
And we'll never see them again.
BTTT
Not under their current names...
Not sorry. This sort of thing should be done in *EVERY* town and city.
It's time Americans take back our country. I don't mind sharing, but it's not fair that they take from us. And it's now too dangerous to just be giving it all away to those who won't do things the legal way.
Whether you support it or not, Mexicans make up a significant portion of our economy. This is not a good move. Hiring Illegal immigrant essentially lets us outsource internally. It lowers the cost of doing business, which is good. If these roundups continue it will have a detrimental effect.
This is pointless if they simply release them. I thought even the most anti-american cities would still deport illegal Democrats if they committed a crime beyond illegal immigration. Now they're welcome even if they commit fraud. Amazing.
It will have to be on a local level. Feds sure aren't willing to do the job.
how much money anybody wants to bet me that they already VOTED Democrat!
Oh please... there must be tons of legal immigrants in the area who can replace them.
"That's great news. They'll have to raise the pay scale to attract native workers."
That's something we are not supposed to bring up in debates over immigration.
Exactly! 24 arrested, 17 released so they could disappear again!
It's not about government protecting it's citizens from terrorists and/or criminals.
It's not about illegals bringing diseases and/or destroying our economy.
It's about how much MONEY that government can extort from EVERYONE in order to feed it's own parasitic self!
Wonder what the pop change would be here if Sheriff Deaver did the same County wide.
That's a fact! Here in Houston, the police aren't "allowed" to question the legality of anyone. It has become another mecca for illegals of many nationalities. It's causing so many problems for the schools & hospitals.
And we get to foot the bill for it. Shame on them!
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