(Spirit Lake)– Authorities say 10 illegal aliens who were in a van that was pulled over Wednesday night by Spirit Lake police were on their way home to Sibley after working at an egg processing facility.
Tim Counts, a spokesman with U-S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says they’re looking into whether the egg company and a subcontractor were knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants.
Counts says so far no charges have been filed in the case.
He adds all of the undocumented immigrants in the van will be deported, and two who had been previously deported could face harsher penalties.
The van the Mexican immigrants were in was pulled over by Spirit Lake police shortly after 10:00 p.m. Wednesday for a traffic violation.
The U-S Immigration and Customs Enforcement was contacted as local authorities are unable to enforce immigration laws themselves.
In addition to the 10 illegal immigrants, another person in the van, a woman, was said to be a legal U-S citizen. Counts says she wasn’t driving the van and as a result won’t be charged with harboring or transporting illegal immigrants.
She, along withe the illegal immigrants, had been living in Sibley.
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