Immigration Agents Raid Marine Business

37 men are in the private jail in downtown Beaumont while federal agents try to determine if they're illegal immigrants.

Several times a year, federal agents conduct security operations near ports and terminals in Southeast Texas.

Officers with Customs and Border Protection arrived at R & R Marine and Fabrication on Procter at about five Wednesday morning to begin a security check and look for any illegal activity, including undocumented workers.

Five men immediately tried to run away.  Agents quickly caught them.

By about 9:30 a.m., 37 men were detained, suspected of being illegal immigrants.

"The illegal aliens, we don't know if they pose a threat to the community, we were just able to conduct business and take a few more illegal aliens off the street," said Daniel Mikolay with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Beaumont.

Dan Mikolay of ICE says it was part of a national campaign to routinely do security checks at ports, terminals and other businesses near the water, looking for illegal activity, including undocumented workers.

Officers with ICE, the U.S. Coast Guard, DPS, Port Arthur Police and constables helped with the operation.

"It just shows that local law enforcement can cooperate together and have a successful part of national security," said Sgt. Scott Gaspard with the Port Arthur Police Department.

Officers checked the embankment near the waterway to see if anyone had gotten away.  Once that was done, they checked to make sure R & R is following federal guidelines, and they're trying to find out if some of the men might be working for other companies.

"We deal with each one as they come along, whether it be illegal vessel, improperly docked vessels, illegal immigrants, illegal workers, those are all things we're examining," said Sgt. Gaspard.

"It's very important from a homeland security effort that we police our waterways, ports and business that work along there because it's a matter of security," said Port Arthur Councilman John Beard Jr.

A matter of security .. that law enforcement officers say will be repeated several more times during the year at other locations in Southeast Texas.

Port Arthur Police say R & R Marine and Fabrication has been working with law enforcement for the past year to help the company avoid hiring undocumented workers.

A spokesman for R & R Marine told us the company is cooperating with federal agents.

Immigration officers are doing more checks to confirm whether the men are in this country illegally.

THE ORIGINAL REPORT:

KFDM News has learned agents with Customs and Border Protection, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, raided a marine business in Port Arthur and have taken into custody more than three dozen suspected illegal immigrants.

   Agents arrived at R & R Marine and Fabrication in the 5700 block of Procter in Port Arthur at about 5 a.m.

   I.C.E. spokesman Robert Keller tells KFDM News when federal agents got to the business, five of the suspected illegal immigrants began running away. 

   Agents checked for proper documentation and determined 37 people may not be in the country legally.

   Agents are trying to determine how many of the men work for R & R and how many might work for other companies in the area.

  They were loaded into vehicles and taken to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility at the private jail in downtown Beaumont.

   Keller says the operation is part of a national effort to make sure people who work in secure marine areas including ports and terminals, are in the country legally.  The agency also checks vehicles for smuggled equipment, and it looks for other illegal activities. 

   KFDM News called R & R Marine for comment.

  "We can confirm some employees were detained by ICE," said Will Wilson with R & R Marine and Fabrication.  "At this time, R & R is cooperating with ICE as it assesses the situation, and the company looks forward to resolving the matter very soon."

   Other law enforcement agencies, including Port Arthur Police, Jefferson County constables and the DPS, helped block off the area while federal agents took the suspected illegal immigrants into custody. 

   Federal agents have conducted a number of raids in Southeast Texas in recent months.

   In June, ICE agents raided Action Rags, U.S.A. near the Houston Ship Channel and detained nearly 200 workers.

   In April, federal agents detained 20 suspected illegal immigrants at the Shipley Do-Nuts headquarters in north Houston.

   KFDM News is on the scene of the raid at R & R Marine and Fabrication.

   Stay with KFDM and kfdm.com for the latest on the investigation.