ICE Shipyard Raid Nabs 25 Illegal Immigrants

Immigration officers carried out a raid on a shipyard in Louisiana last week and came away with more than two dozen suspected illegal immigrants who were working for a welding contractor, according to ICE Homeland Security Investigations.

The raid occurred at an unnamed yard in Harvey, Louisiana, but the individuals in question were employed by Belle Chasse-based contractor Barrois Welding Services. ICE had specific intelligence about the workplace, HSI said: one Barrois Welding Services employee had been arrested in March for immigration violations, leading to further inquiries about the employer.

HSI New Orleans Agents subpoenaed the owner of Barrois Welding Services and requested documentation about everyone on payroll, including IDs and Form I-9s. According to HSI, the business owner did not comply, despite repeated requests. (HSI emphasized that it tries to work with business owners to help them improve compliance, and businesses can avoid any fines for mistakes if they sign up for assistance and allow ICE to audit their employee eligibility files.)

On October 30, seven months after the start of the inquiry, HSI New Orleans agents carried out a raid at the worksite. They found 25 illegal aliens on scene, all from Honduras. Among them, some had prior criminal histories, including discharge of a firearm within city limits, prior illegal entry charges, and giving false information to an officer, ICE said.

HSI's New Orleans office is still looking into whether any criminal violations occurred.

"This operation demonstrates our commitment to enforcing immigration laws and holding employers accountable. We will continue to investigate and take action against those who fail to comply with the law," said HSI New Orleans Deputy Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright.

According to a recent investigation by ProPublica, undocumented immigrant laborers have been making inroads in the subcontractor segment that provides some shipyards with workers. These services are in demand because of industry workforce shortages in the post-COVID era, as seen in other industries; in recent years, accidents involving undocumented labor at smaller U.S. yards have occasionally attracted the attention of health and safety regulators.