CONTACT: 919/856-4530

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

THURSDAY, September 28, 2006

TWENTY-EIGHT ILLEGAL WORKERS AT FORT BRAGG
ARRESTED IN ONGOING ICE INVESTIGATION

RALEIGH - George E. B. Holding, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, today announced that on Tuesday, September 26, 2006, twenty-eight individuals were taken into custody by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They were charged with the misdemeanor offense of illegal entry into the United States, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1325(a).

Ten of the individuals arrested appeared today before a federal magistrate judge in Raleigh, N. C. and entered guilty pleas. They remain in custody and are being processed for deportation. Eighteen cases were continued until Tuesday, October 3, 2006, for further consideration.

These charges are a result of the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security’s ongoing efforts to secure critical infra-structure nationwide. A joint task force of agents representing United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service and United States Army Security, conducted a security check at entrances to Fort Bragg. The object of the check was to apprehend illegal aliens attempting to gain access to Fort Bragg as civilian laborers.

A Criminal Information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the Government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Hayden and John S. Bowler are handling the cases for the federal government.

News releases are available on the U.S. Attorney’s web page at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nce within 48 hours of release.