El Paso Standard

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in collaboration with the U.S. Border Patrol’s Gulfport Station and the Drug Enforcement Administration Gulfport, carried out a worksite enforcement operation at Gulf Coast Prestress Partners, Ltd. in Pass Christian, Mississippi.

During the operation, ICE served a Notice of Inspection and an immigration subpoena to the company. While executing these actions and interviewing employees, agents noticed a group of individuals fleeing from the back of the business property. The agents apprehended 18 individuals who were attempting to escape. An immigration inspection identified them as citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Among them, two individuals had scheduled immigration court dates and valid work authorization; they were subsequently released. Additionally, a 16-year-old juvenile Mexican national was identified during the operation. ICE provided overnight monitoring for the juvenile before transferring custody to the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Federal law mandates that employers verify both identity and employment eligibility for all hires using Form I-9 for Employment Eligibility Verification. ICE employs this I-9 inspection program as part of its strategy to promote legal compliance regarding employment laws in the United States.

The agency's worksite enforcement strategy involves utilizing various investigative disciplines since such investigations can uncover other criminal activities like alien smuggling, human trafficking, money laundering, document fraud, worker exploitation, or substandard wage and working conditions.