45 busted in immigration raid | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

The arrests were followed yesterday by both protests in front of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore and praise from elected officials and business owners.

Scot R. Rittenberg, assistant special agent in charge for ICE in Baltimore, said the agency has been investigating Annapolis Painting Services since getting a tip 18 months ago.

Starting at 6 a.m. Monday, 75 federal agents assisted by about 50 county police officers began making arrests and seizures using 11 search warrants, five seizure warrants for bank accounts, 10 seizure warrants for vehicles and 15 forfeitable properties, he said.

Workers taken into custody are from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nigeria and Panama. Thirty-five men and 10 women were arrested.

At least five more people were not taken into custody because of medical or child-care hardships, Mr. Rittenberg said. Those people, including a woman in the late stages of pregnancy, will have to appear before an immigration judge at a later date.

"This will send a very strong signal that this administration, with the cooperation of ICE, will not tolerate the hiring of illegal immigrants in this county," he said, standing across the street from the company's headquarters on Housley Road just outside Annapolis.

No charges have been filed against Annapolis Painting Services, or owner Robert Bontempo, but the investigation is continuing. Company officials could not be reached for comment.

ICE has been investigating employers since 2003 when the agency was created as a part of the Department of Homeland Security.

County Executive John R. Leopold has made enforcing immigration laws and cooperating with ICE a priority for his administration. He said the raids were the fourth such operation since he took office last year.

"Clearly when companies hire illegal immigrants, pay them below market wage rates, don't pay overtime, don't pay taxes, they're putting employers who want to play by the rules at a competitive disadvantage," Mr. Leopold said.

He stressed that he wants to help immigrants "who want to play by the rules" get legal status in the United States. Mr. Leopold pushed for a workshop earlier this year to help businesses navigate the complicated process of legally hiring foreign workers.

Col. James Teare Sr. said officers were pulled from other details to help with Monday's operation and that regular police patrols were not affected.

"This is a coordinated effort that was well planned out," he said.

Michael McGurk, owner of Bay Country Painters in Severna Park and president of the Baltimore/Annapolis Chapter of the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America, called Mr. Bontempo a "serious business man."

But he praised Mr. Leopold for being so vocal on an issue unfair to companies that are playing by the rules.

"We're trying to do everything by the book," he said. "I've worked really hard to do that."

In Baltimore yesterday, about 50 people attended a rally organized by the National Capital Immigrant Coalition. Mr. Leopold came in for a share of the criticism.

Irma Gonzalez, who said she has lived in Annapolis for 20 years, sported a bright pink sign with a picture of Mr. Leopold with a line through it saying "John Leopold, we are not criminals."

"We have a voice," she said. "We can't keep quiet because a lot of innocent people get hurt."

Immigration continues to rise in Anne Arundel County and across the nation. Census figures show Anne Arundel's foreign-born population grew 32 percent from 23,211 in 2000 to 30,748 in 2006.

Economic development officials have said there are perhaps about 175,000 workers in Maryland illegally, representing about 6 percent of the workforce.

Mario Quiroz, a spokesman for Casa de Maryland, said Monday's sweep will have long-reaching effects.

"We think that this is really bad for the community because we're not only talking about 45 people, we're talking about 45 people and their families," he said.

The nonprofit immigrant advocacy group condemns actions like this where 125 officers were used to capture just 45 detainees.

"These people are not criminals. They are not a national threat," he said.

The national immigration system is "broken," he said, and problems in policy must be solved on a national level.

Mr. Quiroz said he was surprised the county was so involved in the operation, noting that it is unusual for local agencies to be involved in the raids.

"The county has many, many needs, and (Mr. Leopold is) making immigration priority one? That's something to think about," Mr. Quiroz said.

Staff writers Katie Arcieri, Elisabeth Hulette and Pamela Wood contributed to this report.

lbeisel@capitalgazette.com