I’m sure most of you read the post I wrote on Saturday about the El Pollo Rico owners who were arrested for money laudering over $7 million. Well, check out this story from the Associated Press;
July 15, 2007 – 6:39am
WHEATON, Md. (AP) – Things are quieter around the El Pollo Rico restaurant.Immigrant employees and patrons of local shops are shying away from the area after an immigration raid on the Peruvian restaurant Thursday morning. Nine employees were seized and four members of the family that owns the restaurant were arrested. ÂMost lunchtimes, a line of customers would wind outside the door onto the sidewalk for El Pollo Rico’s spicy roasted chicken.
Now, immigrant workers and customers are staying away from the shopping center for fear that the scene will repeat itself.
One man who said he entered the country legally says he quit his job at a nearby business because he feared immigration officials.
But members of groups opposed to illegal immigration say they welcomed the bust of the illegal immigrants, adding that they feel the effort should even be stepped up.
Others in the community worry that the bust makes the whole Hispanic community look bad.
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(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
That’s it, in it’s entirety. The business wasn’t raided for immigration violations, it was raided because of large money transactions that had been tracked for more than year. No mention that the owners were US citizens who were involved in human trafficking and money laundering schemes – just that the poor LEGAL immigrants were afraid to come to work because the jackbooted thugs of the ICE would scoop up everyone and send them to prison.
I guess the LEGAL immigrants in Wheaton have seen Cheech Marin’s “Born in East LA” too many times.
I would expect nothing less from the Al-Qaeda Press.