The undocumented immigrants all worked for contract labor companies who supply workers to IMCO, a company that performs contact maintenance on passenger and cargo aircraft.  Federal officials said TIMCO was not a target and is fully cooperating in the ongoing investigation, called “Operation Fly By.”

The 27 arrested by ICE today were charged with administrative violations of immigration law and will be placed in deportation proceedings.  Their home countries include Sudan, Chile, Peru, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Mexico and Laos. 

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Last week, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials deported Farida Goolam Mahomed Ahmed to her native South Africa following her arrest, conviction and sentencing on criminal charges of illegal entry into the US, making false statements to federal authorities and misuse of an altered South African passport found in her possession.  ICE Detention and Removal Operations turned over Ahmed to South African authorities upon arrival in South Africa. 

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials arrested Ahmed July 19 at the airport in McAllen, Texas, when she tried to board a flight to Houston en route to New York City.  Ahmed had told CBP Border Patrol agents she had a valid visa, but that was found to be false after her records were checked.  It was discovered that three pages of her passport had been removed, and she was in possession of a bag of wet clothing.  CBP officials learned that she was wearing the clothes when she swam across the Rio Grande River from Mexico earlier that day.