Federal authorities detained 57 individuals without legal status at a worksite in Cayuga County, New York, on September 4. Five of those individuals have been charged with illegally reentering the United States after previous removal. The five charged are Alex Ben Chipin (also known as Alex Ben-Chiping, Alex Bing-Chiping, and Antonio Lopez-Mendez), age 39; Argentina Juarez-Lopez, age 50; Luis Jom-Morales, age 27; Gregorio Baldemar Ramirez-Perez, age 45—all from Guatemala—and Francisco Salvardo-Mora, age 22, from Mexico.
The remaining 52 people were detained administratively and await immigration proceedings. Each defendant faces separate charges and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III commented on the enforcement action: “These defendants face charges arising out of one of the largest worksite enforcement actions in recent history. Employers across the Northern District of New York must understand that they risk criminal investigation if they are employing non-citizens who are not authorized to work in the United States. Across Upstate and Central New York, there are hard-working Americans in need of well-paying jobs, especially in Cayuga County where unemployment is relatively high. Our worksite enforcement actions will ensure that those jobs go to people who are authorized to work in the United States, and not to aliens who illegally re-enter our country after prior deportations.”
Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo Field Office said: “Today’s announcement underscores the continued coordination of law enforcement partners with the goal of uncovering possibly dangerous or abusive business practices and, in turn, protecting the public from labor exploitation. While this continues to be an active and ongoing criminal investigation, HSI remains committed to protecting the rights of workers and upholding U.S. laws, including by identifying and addressing exploitation in the workplace, ensuring compliance with labor and immigration laws, and safeguarding the integrity of our nation's workforce.”
Harry T. Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) New York Field Division stated: “IRS-CI has a long history of collaborating with our law enforcement partners, and worksite enforcement operations are no different. Businesses are expected to apply good employment practices in hiring their workforce in accordance with U.S. laws and reporting payroll and other related financials appropriately. IRS-CI will continue to use their financial expertise in furthering these types of investigations.”
The five defendants each face a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment if convicted as well as a fine up to $250,000 and supervised release for up to one year.
The cases are being investigated by HSI, Border Patrol, IRS-CI with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Marshals Service as well as local sheriff’s offices from Oswego County and Madison County. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry is prosecuting.
