A total of 15 illegal immigrants were arrested after allegedly stealing Americans’ Social Security numbers and claiming to hold U.S. citizenship to gain employment.
While the 15 illegal immigrants were working at the LNG construction company site in Cameron, Louisiana, federal and state agents showed up to arrest the men, primarily from Mexico, for alleged identity theft, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The illegal immigrants are:
- Miguel Roblero-Morales, 36-years-old, of Guatemala
- Mario Arnulfo Pantaleon-Castaneda, 30-years-old, of Guatemala
- Luis Angel Pulido Cervantes, 29-years-old, of Mexico
- Joel Pulido-Gutierrez, 27-years-old, of Mexico
- Juan Manuel Zavala-Leon, 30-years-old, of Mexico
- Rigoberto Romo Martinez, 41-years-old, of Mexico
- Jose De Jesus Vega-Gutierrez, 31-years-old, of Mexico
- Juan Alexis Juarez-Coto, 46-years-old, of Honduras
- Felix Jiminez-Ruiz, 25-years-old, of Mexico
- Jose Gutierrez-Valencia, 27-years-old, of Mexico
- Bernardo Hernandez-Gallo, 37-years-old, of Mexico
- Elizar Alvarez-Barajas, 43-years-old, of Mexico
- Roberto Carlos Cruz Cruz, 28-years-old, of Mexico
- Guily Tenorio-Sierra, 21-years-old, of Mexico
- Arturo Rebollar-Osorio, 34-years-old, of Mexico
The 15 illegal immigrants were indicted by a federal grand jury for identity theft, accusing the men of “using social security numbers of actual citizens, and making false claims of United States citizenship in order to obtain jobs at the facility over the past three years,” the statement read.
According to prosecutors, the illegal immigrants were working under names of actual U.S. citizens. The stolen identities primarily came from citizens living in Puerto Rico.
Prosecutors said that after the illegal immigrants stole the Social Security numbers, they received state-issued identification cards from Louisiana, Missouri, Texas and Arkansas in order to work in those states.
The stolen Social Security numbers allowed the illegal immigrants to get past the E-Verify systems.
“Protecting critical infrastructure is a national security priority for law enforcement,” Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston said in a statement. “To do so we must make sure that workers in our community, and especially those working in proximity to vital national interests like our oil and chemical industries, are legal and properly vetted as required by law. Further, we must remain vigilant to these concerns to protect the economy and the law abiding worker.”
Some of the illegal immigrants indicted in the case had previously been deported and are now facing further immigration violations for returning to the U.S.
The illegal immigrants are facing five years in prison each, if convicted of identity theft and potential deportation.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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