Nearly 50 immigrants detained by ICE in two-year, South Carolina fake ID probe
A two-year investigation into immigrants with fake identity documents led to federal officials detaining 48 workers at a South Carolina metal casting business and six people facing state charges, including two top managers at the plant, authorities announced Thursday.Dozens of officials with federal and local law enforcement agencies raided Burnstein von Seelen Precision Castings in Abbeville on Wednesday.Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took the workers into custody on alleged immigration violations, and the company’s plant manager and human resources director were arrested on allegations they knowingly hired immigrants in the US illegally, state Attorney General Alan Wilson said at a news conference.The company officials were indicted by a state grand jury, along with four other people accused of making and selling false US and state identifications using information from identity thefts.“We want to send a message that this isn’t about going after people who are trying to feed their family,” Wilson said.“This isn’t going after companies or businesses who unknowingly hiring illegal.
This is about going after something much larger, you know, a conspiracy of people around South Carolina to steal identities, to create fake Social Security cards, fake driver’s license, fake immigration documents.”Officials at Burnstein von Seelen did not immediately return messages left by phone and through its website,The two company managers were expected to appear at the Richland County Courthouse in Columbia on Thursday to face charges of criminal conspiracy and identity fraud to obtain employment.It was not immediately clear if they had lawyers who could respond to the allegations.Burnstein von Seelen, founded in 1985, is a metals casting business, using different alloys of copper, brass and bronze to make an array of components, according to its website.
It’s located in Abbeville County, population around 25,000, in western South Carolina not far f...