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16 Undocumented Workers Stopped on I-75

925 views · Published 8 May 2013 · 2:36 · Indexed 27 October 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2013 · News & Politics

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by John Madewell  A people smuggling case has unfolded in Whitfield County after a Tunnel Hill police officer stopped a mini-van last week on I-75.16 undocumented people were crammed inside, according to law enforcement.Tunnel Hill police Lieutenant Scott Reneau said this incident is different from the more common movement of migrant workers inside the country.    In this case, immigration agents expect to find out money changed hands to move these people across the border.The desire to live in America plays out on I-75 in Tunnel Hill. Lt.Reneau pulled a Nissan Quest van over last Thursday. It had Texas plates and the back windows were all tinted.The officer didn't know what he would discover until he slid the side door open.It's hard to imagine, but 16 undocumented people were stuffed in this van built for seven. They were shoulder to shoulder, a lot of them sitting on the floor of the van, real compact in with each other, Reneau said.Most are from Guatemala and El Salvador. The driver, Carlos Martinez-Rocho, told Reneay the group was from Houston and headed to Atlanta to do construction work. But the officer felt they didn't meet the criteria of hard labor workers.Their dress didn't match construction workers, which is kind of odd. And when you looked at their hands, construction workers tend to have callouses. Their hands are kind of rough. Their hands were real smooth, which didn't match what their story was.Instead, he suspected the driver was what's known as a coyote, or part of a for pay smuggling organization.Homeland Security is now involved and is treating this as a typical smuggling ring across the Mexican border.Reneau has worked I-75 interdiction for eight years and has made many undocumented worker stops, but never a bona fide smuggling bust of this size.The first thing that drew his attention was the driver pulling his hood up over his face as he drove south on I-75. And there was one person on board that attracted the most attention of Homeland Security.I guess turned over to Homeland Security. I know they're going to be deported. One was an illegal reentry. He had already been deported once before and he's probably going to be prosecuted, Reneau said.Illegal reentry into the country is a felony.In the meantime, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has custody of 14 of the 16 people. All are expected to be deported.The other two are juveniles and, for now, have been turned over to family members.The deportation process typically takes about 30 days, but each case is treated individually and circumstances can alter the timeline.

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