There's so much going on in Washington, that we're in danger of losing important stories, like this one.
U.S. Rep. William Delahunt said Sunday that there would be a Congressional investigation into the immigration raid at a leather goods factory last week that left dozens of families in turmoil.
Delahunt said the House Subcommittee on Immigration eventually will hold hearings on the roundup of 361 alleged illegal immigrants at Michael Bianco Inc., a company that made equipment and apparel for the U.S. military.
Delahunt wants the subcommittee to look into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies regarding the children and families of those arrested.
"Obviously this is just total chaos," said Delahunt, D-Mass. "Right now we have confusion and people distraught over having no information over where their family members are."
[..]In the raid, company owner Francesco Insolia, 50, and three top managers were arrested. A fifth person was arrested on charges of helping workers obtain fake identification. Prosecutors have accused Insolia of exploiting illegal immigrants_ mostly women from Guatemala and El Salvador - to maximize his profits on the military contracts to make backpacks and safety vests for soldiers.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said 60 immigrants detained were freed within hours of the raid because they were determined to be sole caregivers to their children. But Massachusetts Department of Social Services spokeswoman Denise Monteiro said one 27-year-old woman was held in custody for two nights while her 7-month-old child had to be hospitalized for dehydration because the infant refused to drink baby formula. The mother was released by federal authorities Thursday night.
Those affected by the raid included a 27-day-old infant, Monteiro said.
