Free Republic

TUCSON — In an operation that authorities say marks a new chapter in workplace enforcement, federal immigration officials raided the offices of a Sierra Vista drywall company on Friday, arresting the firm’s president and six others for conspiring to hire illegal workers. Officials say the arrests at Sun Drywall and Stucco Inc. represent the first time that criminal charges have been brought against an employer for knowingly hiring undocumented workers. And they promised more arrests to come. “Unfortunately, for many employers, the fines imposed for illegal hiring practices have become just another cost of doing business,” said Alonzo Pena, special...

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - Dozens of young children were stranded at schools and with baby-sitters after their parents were rounded up by federal authorities who raided a leather goods maker suspected of hiring illegal immigrants, authorities said Wednesday. About two-thirds of the 500 employees of Michael Bianco Inc., mostly women, were detained Tuesday by immigration officials for possible deportation as illegal aliens. As a result, about 100 children were stuck with baby sitters, caretakers and others, said Corinn Williams, director of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts. "We're continuing to get stories today about infants that were left...