Agricultural Personnel Management Program
University of California

6/7/03  News Report -- The Buffalo News

Cheektowaga police arrested four undocumented workers Friday at a construction site on Union Road, the second time in three weeks that undocumented workers were found in the Buffalo area.

Construction unions, who tipped authorities in both cases, say the incidents show that stronger oversight of builders is needed. On May 23, immigration agents arrested nine undocumented workers from Mexico in East Aurora working on a hotel construction project.

"The pattern seems to keep repeating itself," said Chris Stone, a Carpenters union organizer. "Who knows what we'll find next week."

Police apprehended the four men Friday morning at the Sam's Club site, Capt. James Morath said. Officers were reacting to a complaint that one of their vehicles, found parked at the site, was driving erratically.

Stone said he made the complaint after the workers' car veered toward him while he followed it from a hotel the men were staying in.

One of the four ran from officers and was chased on foot, while another admitted being in the country illegally, Capt. Morath said. The men were turned over to federal immigration authorities.

Sarah Mouw, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said three of the men are being held. The fourth, who has a pending application for a visa, was released. She said she didn't know if the Spanish-speaking men were from Mexico or Central America, and wouldn't comment further.

Immigrants who lack documentation may have a deportation hearing, or may waive their right to the process and be returned home.

Construction contractor Pike Co. was unaware that the crew, employed by a subcontractor, lacked legal working status, said Joseph Merriam, project general manager. The Rochester-based construction company is managing the expansion of the Sam's Club outlet on Union Road.

"Obviously we don't have any control over who a subcontractor hires," he said. "We assume they are following proper hiring procedures and performing proper background checks . . . we're disappointed."

The men, who performed drywall finishing work, were employed by Challenge Construction in Manvel, Texas, he said.

James Burch, an official of the Houston area company, said he believed the men worked for one of his subcontractors, a company called Space City Drywall Finishers, also in the Houston area. That company could not be reached for comment.

Stone, an organizer at Carpenters Local 9, said he started following the men after receiving tips from union workers on the construction site. The group seemed to always travel together in shared vehicles, which they took steps to park in out-of-the-way spots out of view from the street, he said.

"They would always back into the spot, so you couldn't see the license plate," Stone said. A fifth man accompanying the group eluded capture, he said.