Illegal immigrants arrested at Ugandan refugee family's Bellingham engine plant

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers Tuesday raided an engine-remanufacturing plant in Bellingham owned by a family of immigrants who fled violence in Uganda nearly 40 years ago.

They arrested 28 illegal immigrants at Yamato Engine Specialists — more than one-quarter of the company's work force — and immediately began the process to deport them, ICE officials said.

Investigators said the 25 men and three women — most from Mexico — might have gained employment at Yamato using bogus Social Security numbers and other counterfeit ID.

Lori Dankers, spokeswoman for ICE, said all the workers were interviewed and admitted to being in the country illegally, with no authorization to work here.

"In this economy, that's 28 jobs that are being taken away from U.S. citizens or immigrants who are legally in this country," she said.

The early-morning raid shocked the immigrant family that has operated Yamato Engine since 1990. Co-owner Shirin Dhanani Makalai said the owners had been cooperating with ICE since last fall, when investigators began reviewing employee documents and the company owners said they thought they were on a track to correct any problems that surfaced.

What's more, she said, three of the workers arrested Tuesday had been cleared by ICE in a similar review of documents in 2005.

Makalai sees that as proof that even immigration officials can't always identify phony work papers.

"We were totally blindsided by this," she said. "Of course we don't advocate hiring illegal workers."

Yamato specializes in rebuilding Japanese car engines and transmissions, as well as parts supply. And with the economic slowdown, it had been reducing its work force.

"People bring you paperwork that by law you are required to accept. We do our due diligence to make sure it's proper. But you can't always tell, ... " Makalai said.

Three of those arrested Tuesday were released on humanitarian grounds, while the others were being held at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.

Raids can originate from ICE's audits of I-9s, the forms all employees must complete when hired. And ICE sometimes conducts I-9 audits following an informant tip. ICE began looking at Yamato's employment records after officers last year arrested an illegal immigrant with a criminal record who had previously worked there.

Makalai said an audit four years ago helped the company clean up its payroll. But she said ICE never explained how the company could ensure it would continue to hire only legitimate workers.

In 2007, ICE launched a program called ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers, or IMAGE, to help employers avoid hiring illegal immigrants.

The Dhananis fled Uganda in 1971 when military dictator Idi Amin Dada led a violent coup and slaughtered hundreds of thousands. They escaped and in 1990 established Yamato Engine.

"We're a family business," Makalai said. "We understand displacement and loss which is why is was so traumatic to see this happen to all these people. ... "

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com