Immigration raids target workers first

NORWALK, Ohio, July 24 (UPI) -- A raid on eight Mexican restaurants in Ohio by U.S. immigration officials targeted workers trying to make ends meet, an immigration lawyer said.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid of eight Casa Fiesta restaurants and one home in Norwalk, Ohio, resulted in the arrest of 58 Mexican citizens, 54 men and four women, all charged with working illegally and likely to be deported, The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland reported.

But Wednesday's crackdown targeted people who are "not criminals," immigration lawyer David Leopold told the newspaper.

"The worst thing you can say about them is they came here to feed their families," Leopold said.

Immigration officials said they were focusing on businesses that purposefully hire illegal workers.

"This is part of a criminal investigation of a company that is violating U.S. law," agent Brian Moskowitz told The Plain Dealer.

Building a case against an employer is a longer process than arresting the workers, Moskowitz said.

But employers are also being charged with violations of immigration law. After an April 16 raid of seven Ohio restaurants, 11 restaurant managers and owners were charged with recruiting and harboring undocumented workers, the newspaper report said.