(Phoenix, Arizona) The sheer number of illegal aliens entering the United States yearly indicates there must be many people helping them. This story suggests that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is actually going after people who aid and abet smuggling.
From AZCentral.com:
Thirteen owners of six Mesa motels are accused of harboring undocumented immigrants after a nine-month undercover operation, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Thursday in Phoenix.
Authorities also are seeking forfeiture of five of the six motels, all on Main Street and valued at several million dollars. The sixth motel was sold and the new owners were not involved, officials said.
Take their property. That will do it. Few people are dumb enough to risk most of their wealth for the sake of illegals. But wait, maybe they weren't really helping the border jumpers all that much.
Federal agents raided the Mesa motels Tuesday and discovered 23 undocumented immigrants at the Majestic Guest Inn, according to records.
Owners of the Kiva Lodge, HiWay Host, Majestic Guest Inn, Westernaire, Centebar Suites and Apartments and the Roadrunner rented rooms, often at higher rates than regular customers, to undercover agents posing as human smugglers, according to the indictments. One owner offered to "take out all of the White people" if the undercover agent needed more room, records show, and another offered to sell soda to immigrants for $5 per can. Some owners allowed 10 people per room and one agent was charged $170 even though he only needed the room for a few hours.
So, apparently the motel owners were not acting out of altruism. Instead, they were screwing the illegals out of what little money they had.
Furthermore, of the 13 motel owners indicted, eight are named Patel and five are named Bhatka which I believe are Indian names. Consequently, Indian-Americans have been scalping illegal aliens smuggled from Mexico. Nonetheless, what they were doing is illegal and now they're shut down.
Companion post at Interested-Participant.
I bet if you check you'll find that the hotels were financed by the SBA under their 7a program. So you have taxpayer assisted financing for the housing of exploited illegals. (Yeah, only in America.)
By the way, Patel is Pakistani, I believe. Sort of their name for “Smith.” It seems the Patels are the “Nation’s Innkeepers.”
Posted by: Sam on November 14, 2005 09:37 AM
i suggested to put some informations for the officer of INS for reporting the illegal alliens in USA.For example in aspen,i known this indonesian people who worked for Taipe Tokyo restaurant in glenwood spring and they came here as a student and they end up as illegal worker in USA.And the owner of that asian restaurant always hiring illegal alliens from indonesia and they always easily finding the new illegal worker 'cos i spoke with one of those girls that the owner knows the agent in denver for those illegal alliens from indonesia.And also i know somebody too in aspen from indonesia that had deported last year cos they got busted from somebody reporting them that they are working in the CITY MARKET IN ASPEN,eventhough like that, that CITY MARKET in aspen and surrounded STILL GETTING ILLEGAL WORKERS TO WORKED BY THEM,and they got those illegal workers from the agent too in denver,so in denver they had some comunity that truly illegal alliens comunity that they can make money out of it to sell illegal workers there.In aspen theres a lot of illegal worker that worked in aspen,and some of them recently get busted cos they were drug raids in aspen and the drug dealer was the employee of the restaurants in aspen ,and also they are illegal alliens and they worked here in USA and they are drug dealer and they dont pay taxes and they drive HUMMER2 and they owned houses in aspen and they are more succesfull then usa citizen who lost their jobs cos illegal alliens was so cheap wages and had some job side as drug dealer.So really Illegal Alliens is very bad for AMERICAN LIFE and specially the citizen who lost their jobs cos illegal alliens acts,and illegal alliens also always taking away our taxes by giving them some hospital help and delivery baby and freed from insurance of their houses and cars,and guess what in this problem i just wanna say that illegal alliens is more smart that USA CITIZEN,cos they got our taxes and they got their kids an educations in this country and they got some hospitality from being undocument workers.
Posted by: yanti on February 4, 2006 09:35 PM
