ICE sweeps up illegal workers at Port of Baltimore

ICE sweeps up illegal workers at Port of Baltimore    Federal authorities on Thursday raided a temporary employment agency that provides workers for businesses at the Port of Baltimore and other locations in the city, and arrested 69 undocumented immigrants.
   The target of the investigation was Jones Industrial Network, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement said agents also executed search warrants at nine other businesses in the area that contract with Jones. No Jones executives were arrested, but ICE said its investigation is continuing.
   ICE said it began the investigation of Jones last year after receiving a tip that the company placed illegal workers with local companies. The investigation drew extra attention because of Department of Homeland Security concerns about possible terrorist or criminal access to ports, Special Agent James Dinkins said at a news conference.
   The Associated Press and Baltimore Sun reported that one of the companies raided was sports clothing maker Under Armour Inc., which used 20 Jones workers at the company’s distribution center. Another company caught up in the investigation is Beacon Stevedoring, the Sun said.
   The law enforcement action is part of a broader crackdown within the past year by ICE and the DHS on illegal immigration, with special emphasis being placed on targeting businesses that illegally hire workers that sneak into the country without going through immigration procedures.
   ICE has focused some of its attention on warehousing in port districts during the past two years, making several raids on facilities on the West Coast during that period.