The United States federal government has charged four Illinois manufacturing operators for knowingly hiring illegal aliens in their business.
Dora Kuzelka, Kenneth Kuzelka, Kari Kuzelka, and Keith Kuzelka allegedly hired 18 illegal aliens at their business, KSO MetalFab Inc., in Streamwood, Illinois. On Friday, Dora, Kenneth, and Kari were arrested by the police in the morning. Kenneth, who left the company in 2018, surrendered Tuesday afternoon.
"The charged operators face one count of knowingly harboring an illegal alien charge and one count of knowingly engaging in a practice of hiring illegal aliens charge," according to Chicago Morning Star.
Apparently authorities let KSO MetalFab know that 36 of the company's 67 employees were employed illegally. The company was served a federal notice, and the sheetmetal company confirmed it had fired the 36 individuals. Then, Keith Kuzelka, "contacted authorities in December 2018 and told them KSO worked with a 'Company A' to bring back at least 18 of those workers as temporary employees, the complaint says." Keith had stopped working for the company at this point.
"Apparently they fired them and brought them back through the staffing company," Joseph Fitzpatrick, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office told media.
The arrests are the latest in the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to enforce the law to deter employers from hiring illegal aliens for financial gain. In early October, Hector Valdez-Loera, 42, of Madison, Miss. was given one year and one day in prison, followed by three years' probation last Friday for "for harboring an illegal alien for commercial advantage and private financial gain." Valdez-Loera was also ordered to pay a fine of $79,784.00.
As for the illegal aliens employed by the Kuzelkas, ICE declined to comment on the matter.