DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Federal agents raided a Chamblee business Thursday afternoon in a sting that targeted the hiring of illegal immigrants.
Channel 2 had video of FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they raided a store on Chamblee Dunwoody Road in DeKalb County. Police arrested at least 20 suspects, according to Channel 2's Diana Davis.
A witness said the raid did not start quietly. "They started running toward the stairwells and the cops were coming up there, so they decided they were going to get out another way. They jumped over the side and the cops were standing there," said witness Derek Piper.
Federal agents took away both Hispanic and Asian suspects witnesses said. The raid focused on a Chinese business and employment agency.
Hon Pha, a legal Vietnamese immigrant, told Davis he paid the agency to get work at a Chinese restaurant in Gwinnett County. He said mostly illegal immigrants come to the Chamblee business to get work. The fee is nearly $300 a head, according to Pha.
Pha said the restaurant paid in cash, and he claimed after one week of work, the restaurant fired him, and went back to the agency to get another worker.
The raid is the largest of several in Metro Atlanta, according to the FBI. All suspects could face federal charges, according to agents.
The U.S. Attorneys Office was expected to release more information about the raid on Friday.
WSBTV
