Corso's workers up against it

PERKINS TWP. — A long road in the court system awaits the people arrested by federal immigration agents on Tuesday suspected of being in the country illegally.It might take even longer before the public ever knows their names.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security executed search warrants at Corso's Flower and Garden Center on Milan Road (U.S. 250) in Perkins Township and a second location on Bardshar Road in Castalia.The names of the people arrested have not been released and the search warrants are under seal, said ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls."We wouldn't speculate on the timetable (for the investigation) at this stage," Walls said. "We are in the very early stages."But the investigation began at least eight months ago — in October 2017 — when, according to WKYC TV3 in Cleveland, a 44-year-old woman was arrested for manufacturing false citizenship documents.Walls said the search warrants were approved by the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio. Generally, in Ohio, state law requires law enforcement agency to disclose warrants and the names of individuals who get arrested. Federal law enforcement agencies, such as the Border Patrol, don't observe or follow state requirements. The Corso's employees arrested on Tuesday are being detained at facilities in Ohio and Michigan pending deportation proceedings, Walls said."All aliens processed for removal may receive their legal due process from the federal immigration judges in the immigration court, which is administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)," Walls said.Despite keeping their names and the specific charges each of them face secret, the federal Department of Justice contends each will get a fair trial before any decisions are made. "They are afforded all the same rights of due process as U.S. citizens regardless of their immigration status," DOJ spokesman Devin O'Malley said.ICE agents were unable to say if any will be deported or when that may happen. But they are reviewing each case to determine the appropriate next steps, Walls said."They're going to go through the cases to see who has a deportation status or a final order removal from a previous case, those people could be removed rather quickly," Cleveland immigration attorney David Leopold said.But if someone among those arrested has no history with ICE, an immigration judge in court will decide the case. It can take anywhere from weeks to years, Leopold said. And the odds are rarely in the defendant's favor."This is the most brutal anti-immigration administration in the history of the nation," Leopold said. "The cards in immigration court are stacked against them."If any of the employees shown to be non-citizens is unable to pay to hire an attorney they will have to rely on an advocacy agency for legal counsel or appear in court without counsel, Leopold said. Non-citizens do not have a right to legal counsel at the government's expense.Leopold cautioned against jumping to conclusions just because a person has been arrested. Some of the employees arrested could have proper documentation or legitimate reason to remain in the country, including asylum seekers."Nothing has been proven yet by anybody," Leopold said. "Just because ICE arrests somebody it doesn't mean that person is here illegally and doesn't have documentation. ICE has to prove it's doing its job correctly."At least one of the Corso's employees arrested on Tuesday was shown to be a citizen and released from custody, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown told the Register on Wednesday. He refused to provide the name of that individual or the circumstances about his or her arrest. Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterA border patrol agent blocks off one of the entrances to Corso's Lawn and Garden Center, located on Milan Road, as agents execute a federal search warrant on Tuesday.