Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies Supplies Parts For Several Airliners

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents executed a federal civil search warrant Friday morning at an aircraft manufacturing plant in Arlington, WA arresting 32 of the company's workers on administrative immigration violations.

The search warrant was executed at Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. (AMT), a leading supplier of frame and interior parts for commercial and military aircraft. AMT provides many of the parts used in several airliners, including the Boeing 737 and Boeing 777.

The operation was part of ICE's worksite enforcement effort focusing on critical infrastructure and security sensitive sites. AMT is registered with the US Department of State's Director of Defense Trade Controls, which oversees the export and import of certain products that can be used for national defense purposes.

The unauthorized workers included foreign nationals from two countries -- Mexico (30) and El Salvador (2). The group includes 16 men and 16 women.

Those arrested were interviewed, fingerprinted and photographed by ICE agents and processed for removal from the United States. Information obtained during the interviews assists ICE in making decisions about whether to detain an individual or permit a conditional humanitarian release.

As a result of those interviews, four of the illegal workers, all female, were released initially on humanitarian grounds, pending future immigration proceedings. The 28 workers remaining in ICE custody will be held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA.

The enforcement action came after ICE agents audited the employment records of AMT. The audit revealed discrepancies leading agents to believe that a small percentage of the company's employees used counterfeit documents to secure their jobs. ICE states at this time, there is no evidence AMT was aware the arrested workers had used false credentials to secure their employment, though the investigation is ongoing.

"Today's enforcement action is part of ICE's ongoing nationwide effort to shut down the employment magnet fueling illegal immigration," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of ICE's office of investigations in Seattle. "Every job held by an illegal alien is a job taken from a US citizen or legal resident of this area."

FMI: www.ice.gov