Immigration officials say the nearly 300 people arrested at a Texas technology repair company Wednesday came to the U.S. from 15 different countries on multiple continents.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it has released nearly two-thirds of the more than 280 people who did not have legal authorization to work in this country. They worked at CVE Technology Group refurbishing used cellphones.
Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger says 110 of the people are being held in federal detention centers in Texas. The rest were given a date to appear in immigration court and released for "humanitarian reasons," such as being the sole caregiver for a child or having a serious illness.
Berger said her staff conducted the large operation without drawing agents from other jurisdictions.
A phone message seeking comment with CVE was not immediately returned.
Disposition Summary:
- 284 Total taken into custody at job site (51 males and 233 females)
- 110 detained in custody as of April 4, 2019
- 174 processed and released for humanitarian reasons
Breakdown by number of arrests by nationality:
1 Bolivia
1 Brazil
6 Columbian
38 El Salvador
18 Guatemala
27 Honduras
1 Kenya
1 Liberia
112 Mexico
2 Nicaragua
48 Nigeria
2 Peru
1 S Korea
1 South Africa
25 Venezuela
