The 12 allegedly illegal immigrants taken into custody Tuesday in Cloquet are being held in St. Paul by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency awaiting proceedings before an immigration judge, a spokesman for the agency said Thursday.
Spokesman Gregory Palmore said the men will be placed on a court docket to appear before an immigration judge in St. Paul. "The judge will make a determination as to whether they are either removable from the U.S. or allowed to stay,'' Palmore said.
Cloquet police said that the men apparently were working for Southern Maintenance Contractors of Griffin, Ga., in town performing maintenance work at the Sappi paper mill.
Palmore said his agency continues to investigate the company's hiring of the men and whether any immigration laws were violated, and whether criminal charges are warranted. Investigative reports will be forwarded to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis to determine if criminal charges are warranted, he said.
