Illegal Aliens Nabbed at Nuclear Plant

BLAIR, Nebraska (ICE) -- In the latest in a series of arrests involving illegal aliens at nuclear facilities, ICE special agents arrested three illegal aliens in Blair, Nebraska when they attempted to enter the outer secure area of the Omaha Public Power District’s Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station to perform contract work at the plant for the first time.

The three men, all citizens of Mexico, had been hired by an independent contractor to perform maintenance work at the nuclear facility. As they attempted to enter a secure area of the plant, the men presented identification documents that raised the suspicions of Omaha Public Power District employees. They contacted ICE special agents for assistance, who responded and arrested the men after determining that they were illegally present in the United States.

All three men have been placed in immigration removal proceedings. ICE agents are investigating the circumstances under which the private contractor hired the illegal aliens. ICE agents have determined that the illegal aliens were not engaged in any terrorist activity.

“America’s security depends on controlling access to sensitive facilities like nuclear power plants,” said Michael Wardy, Resident Agent-in-Charge of the ICE office in Omaha.

“ICE works closely,” Wardy said “with these industries across the nation to identify vulnerabilities that pose a potential security threat, then we aggressively act to remove that threat. In this case, the system worked exactly the way it was supposed to because the nuclear plant detected the illegal aliens before they could enter.”

The enforcement action in Nebraska is the latest in a series of ICE arrests involving illegal aliens performing contract work at nuclear plants and other nuclear-related facilities around the country.

To date, there have been 56 investigations of nuclear power plants and 1,005 related employers, and 64,835 employee audits have been completed.