ICE Arrests 57 at Mills Manufacturing,
Find Stolen Documents
by Bill Fishburne
Senior Editor
WOODFIN, NC Aug. 12 – Agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security swooped in on the Mills Manufacturing company Tuesday and arrested 57 of the plant’s estimated 180 total employees as suspected illegal aliens.
The detained workers had forged or stolen Social Security numbers, according to reports from the scene. Mills Manufacturing personnel said they did not know the workers were in the country illegally. “Some of them have worked here for several years,” a spokesman said.
The raid was set up after calls from a Mills employee to Asheville City Councilman Dr. Carl Mumpower, expressing concern that most of Mills’ production employees spoke only Spanish, and could be in the country illegally.
Mumpower said he contacted ICE agents in Charlotte to relay the concern. That contact apparently led to Tuesday’s raid.
Mumpower said he also complained about other area businesses alleged to employ large numbers of illegals, including Sonopress in Buncombe County, Van Wingerden Greenhouses in Henderson County, and construction projects funded by the City of Asheville and Buncombe County in downtown Asheville.
Mill Manufacturing CEO John Oswald expresses concern for workers, disappointment in employment agency.
While Mills was being raided, rumors began to flow that nearby Sonopress would also be raided. Within a few minutes, approximately 50 Latino Sonopress workers left their jobs and rushed out of the parking lot. Most returned to work before the end of the day.
All of those arrested were transported to the Henderson County Detention Center for further processing. Since July, Henderson County has been qualified to determine the citizenship of detainees under the federal 287g program. A federal agent said the raid would have been carried out even without Henderson County’s certification, however, due to the size of the workforce and the fact that they were a federal government contractor.
ICE spokesman Ivan Ortiz told the Tribune that of the 57 individuals detained, 30 were later released for humanitarian reasons. Most of those detained were women, and most of those released to go home pending their hearings were women with children in their homes. All are technically under arrest, but agreed to appear in court at a later date.
A breakdown by nationality of those arrested:
Country Male Female
Mexico 15 29
Guatemala 1 4
El Salvador 1 2
Honduras 0 3
Ecuador 0 2
__________________________
Totals 17 40
Of the 57 arrested, 30 were released for humanitarian reasons after being charged. Ortiz said 29 were released that afternoon and one more individual was allowed to leave later in the evening. Most of them were released because they had children at home, while a few had medical issues. A total of 28 women and two men were released. They will be ordered to appear in Immigration Court in Atlanta.
“Anyone with a criminal charge against them will have to stand trial for that charge,” Ortiz said. “If they are convicted they will have to serve their sentence. Then they will be deported.” Those without criminal charges will be deported following their hearing in Atlanta, or after any appeals.
TV trucks at Mills River Manufacturing plant during Tuesday's ICE raid.
Amidst the clamor during and following the raid, voices on both sides of the issue expressed themselves freely.
Edna Campos, owner of Edna Campos & Associates and an advocate for Latino rights, complained about the families who had lost their jobs and now faced unemployment. Many other members of the Buncombe and Henderson County Latino communities gravitated to the Mills Manufacturing scene as the drama unfolded. Others went to stand outside the Henderson County Detention Center as the bus carrying the detainees arrived, and remained on the scene as they were processed.
Mumpower saw it differently, saying illegal immigration was “...the greatest law breaking scheme in America's history - supported by both political parties, our churches, employers, and a host of other self-serving groups that benefit from our indifference to the sanctity of America's border and our laws.”
The raid was the largest such operation ever conducted in Western North Carolina.
According to the company’s website, Mills Manufacturing was established in 1935 by Ernest A. Mills. It was relocated to Asheville in 1952. Mills only has one location and its product line is limited to variations of military parachutes. To this day it remains a small, family owned business that is very active in civic and community affairs. Mills website notes they participate in the United Way campaign, support Habit for Humanity and Junior Achievement as wells as the Irene Wortham Center for children. They also support UNC-Asheville and are actively involved with the Asheville Parks & Greenways Foundation.
(The quality of Mills’ products can be attested to by virtually every soldier, airman or Marine who ever donned a military parachute. This writer, a former paratrooper, jumped several dozen different Mills-manufactured parachutes during his time in the Army. As a civilian, he also jumped with a 24-foot reserve chute made by Mills.)