KINGSVILLE, Texas — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations told KRIS 6 News that 27 undocumented contractors were detained on Thursday, June 26, at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville campus. 22 of those contractors are still in custody.
According to an ICE spokesperson, a worksite enforcement operation was conducted for a suspected violation of U.S. employment law by a contractor that was working on the TAMUK campus. During the operation, 27 undocumented workers were encountered and taken into ICE custody to be processed for administrative immigration violations.
22 of the contractors remain in ICE custody and are pending disposition of their immigration proceedings. ICE states this is an ongoing investigation and cannot comment further on the matter.
KRIS 6 News received the following statement from Cotton Holdings, the company involved with the contractors.
“We continue to work with DHS on this matter involving a subcontractor, as we aim to abide by all applicable laws and have clear standards in place for our contractors. The site is operating as usual, and we are focused on providing the high-quality response and cleanup services our client expects.”
Cotton Holdings is the holding company of Cotton Global Disaster Solutions (GDS) and other operating businesses. Cotton Commercial is part of Cotton GDS.
KRIS 6 News previously reported, there were 26 contractors detained by federal agents due to the statement received from TAMUK on Thursday.
On Monday, students and community members held a peaceful protest TAMUK after news spread of a recent operation by federal agents that took place on campus last week.
