300 Illegal Workers Arrested at Wal-Marts
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WASHINGTON - Federal officials arrested more than 300 illegal workers at 61 Wal-Mart stores across the country early Thursday morning and searched the Bentonville, Ark., office of one of the retail chain's corporate executives.
The workers arrested were members of cleaning crews which the company hired through a contractor. All were people in the country illegally, said a federal official on condition of anonymity.
The arrests occurred as the workers were finishing their night shift and took place at 61 stores in 21 states.
The arrests stem from a November 1998 investigation done in conjunction with the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. In that investigation, officials also targeted contractors and subcontractors used by Wal-Mart to clean stores.
Employers are required to check forms known as I-9's, filled out by every new employee, and keep the forms for a specified period of time. An employer can face civil and criminal penalties if the employer knowingly hired illegal immigrants or doesn't comply with the I-9 regulations.
The people arrested were detained at local immigration offices, the official said. If they had no previous criminal record, they were released with notices to appear before immigration judges.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is the world's largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Ark.
Arrests were made in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. |
