Mississippi Sheriff Accused Of Kidnapping

The article below tells of Mexican nationals being brought
back to work in Mississippi by a local sheriff. The center of
the matter seems to be a disagreement between a recruit-
ment company and the workers and seems to be more of a
civil matter rather than criminal. Should the sheriff's
department have gotten involved in the matter or should
it have been handled by immigration?


Thirty Mexican nationals with visas to work in the U.S. claim police in Pascagoula kidnapped and threatened them with arrest or deportation if they did not return to an employer.

The workers, backed by the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups, said Wednesday that Pascagoula Police Capt. George Tillman threatened to send them to jail if they didn't return to work for a recruitment company.

The workers plan to file a lawsuit accusing Tillman of "kidnapping, kidnapping with intent to enslave, false imprisonment, human trafficking, and violations of the workers' civil and constitutional rights," they said in a news release.

Enrique Garcia, 41, one of the workers, said Tillman told the workers the company "owned" them.

Interim Pascagoula Police Chief Eddie Stewart said in a statement that the allegations were without merit. He said they stemmed from a "call for service in which two private contractors were in a dispute over who employed a group of workers."

Officers handled the situation properly, he said.

"Our responding officers, with the assistance of Immigration Customs Enforcement, explained to both the private contractors and the workers their options," Stewart said.

Jackson County Assistant District Attorney Brice Wiggins said Wednesday his "office has not received a complaint or allegation on the matter."

The workers said they received H2B temporary visas to work for Southwest Shipyards in Channelview, Texas, but left the company because they were paid less than they were promised and working conditions were poor.

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