ICE Raid at Kings Mountain Business Leads to Over Two Dozen Arrests
Federal agents executed a criminal search warrant Wednesday at Buckeye Fire Equipment Company in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, as part of an ongoing immigration investigation.
“They put us in a little room for a whole hour,” Buckeye Fire employee Eric Pinon said Wednesday. “We were waiting and waiting, and that’s when they led us outside. From the picture that I showed you, that’s when they were checking all of us. They were asking questions like, ‘Are you a U.S. citizen?’”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with other federal and local law enforcement agencies, confirmed that at least 30 undocumented individuals were taken into custody during the operation.
The investigation centers on allegations of aggravated identity theft and the employment of individuals not legally authorized to work in the United States. Authorities say the warrant is tied to potential violations of federal employment and immigration laws.
“The search warrant was related to allegations of aggravated identity theft and potential other federal crimes,” ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams said. “We want to do this right because obviously we want to put a stop to anyone using fraudulent documents to work in this country. We’re going to take our time and do it right and when we get to the end, we will feel good about having stopped this action.”
Source: Queen City News
