U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and three other federal agencies took 17 people into custody May 20 at a Kent beverage company.
Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division joined ICE in executing a federal search warrant at Eagle Beverage and Accessories Products, 19220 64th Ave. S., based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the unlawful employment of people without legal work authorization in violation of federal law, according to a May 21 email from an ICE spokesperson.
“As a result of the operation, 17 (people) who had fraudulently represented their immigration status and submitted fraudulent documents and/or information to seek employment were administratively arrested,” according to an ICE spokesperson.
Nine men and seven women, in handcuffs and ankle restraints, were escorted out of the business and onto an unmarked white bus, according to a video posted on Facebook by local immigration attorney Luis Cortes-Romero. A 17th person arrested could not be seen in the video.
“ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigates worksite violations and/or the exploitation of workers,” according to an ICE spokesperson. “Worksite enforcement investigations focus on reducing illegal employment, holding employers accountable and protecting employment opportunities for the country’s lawful workforce.”
Eagle Beverage did not answer a phone call Wednesday morning from the Kent Reporter. The company is at 19220 64th Ave. S., just south of Macrina Bakery and Cafe. Eagle Beverage has operated since 1970 and features the manufacturing of specialty beverages, according to its Facebook page.
The company moved to Kent from Seattle in 2008 to a 55,000-square-foot warehouse, and then moved into its 100,000-square-foot facility in Kent in 2017, according to the Eagle Beverage website.
An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a question about where those arrested will be taken. The agency operates the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
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Officers escort Eagle Beverage employees to a bus. COURTESY SCREENSHOT VIDEO, Luis Cortes-Romero
