April 6, 2004
By Britt Kennerly
Florida Today

PORT CANAVERAL -- A two-month investigation led to the arrests Tuesday of 13 port construction workers on federal charges of trying to obtain work clearance without legitimate identification.

Officials said they did not believe the day laborers intended to do harm. They said there was no breakdown in port security, heightened since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Port Authority CEO Mac McLouth said the security system worked in identifying the problem early and allowing a full investigation.

The arrests came after port officials tipped off Immigration and Customs Enforcement about badges requested for workers with no Social Security numbers. The customs agency contacted Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which confirmed the violations in an unannounced annual inspection.

Another eight men, all from Mexico, were taken into custody Tuesday for being illegally in the United States. A final arrest came for failure to appear on a warrant related to drug charges.

The men, all working on a $25 million facility that will be used to process slag, had access only to their work site, said J.R. Miller, FDLE special agent supervisor.

All 22 were employed by H+M Co., a contractor based in Jackson, Tenn. Whether the company will face any charges has not been determined, Miller said.

"We're as shocked and confused as anybody," said Barry Flynn, H+M vice president.

Contact Kennerly at 360-1016 or bkennerly@flattoday.net

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