61 illegal immigrants detained in South L.A., officials say
Three toddlers are among those arrested in a South Los Angeles house this
morning.
Immigration agents find 'a scene of squalor' while investigating a
smuggling ring.
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 14, 2008
More than 60 illegal immigrants, including three toddlers, were discovered
at a house
in South Los Angeles early this morning by federal immigration agents
serving a
search warrant as part of an investigation into a human smuggling ring,
authorities
said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered the single-family,
two-story home
in the 10000 block of South Normandie Avenue about 6:30 a.m.. and found 61
Central
and South American immigrants crowded into the house, with trash and
rotting food
piled 2 to 3 feet high in each room, agency spokeswoman Virginia Kice
said. The
immigrants told agents that they had been staying in the home since
Friday.
The immigrants were trans****ted to downtown Los Angeles for processing and
interviews. It wasn't clear whether any of those discovered were complicit
in the
smuggling operation.
The immigrants were from El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Ecuador.
There were
six minors -- three teenagers and three toddlers -- among the group.
Immigration and
Customs was working with the consulates of those countries in an attempt
to keep the
young children with their mothers, Kice said.
anna.gorman@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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