Eight men targeted in an immigration enforcement operation at two Madison businesses appeared in federal court this week, accused of using fraudulent documents to obtain employment. The investigation, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had been ongoing for several months.
Court documents filed in the U.S. District Court of South Dakota reveal that the inquiries began in February. One of the men faces charges of visa and permit fraud, while the other seven are charged with one count each of fraudulent use of identification documents. Each charge carries penalties of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
All but one of the men were arrested at the workplaces that employed them — Global Polymer Industries and Manitou Equipment America — both located in Madison. Manitou Equipment America received a $1 million tax incentive from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development in December 2022, when South Dakota’s then-governor, now U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was in office. The company reportedly employs around 250 workers.
Shortly before the arrests, Noem received an honorary doctorate and delivered a commencement address at Dakota State University in Madison, where approximately 200 protesters gathered outside.
Affidavits from two ICE agents allege that the men worked under false names and used fraudulent identification documents to complete I-9 forms, which verify employment eligibility in the U.S. The agents uncovered discrepancies during reviews conducted in February and March, indicating the identities on the documents were false.
Five of the men reportedly signed these fraudulent I-9 forms in 2022, suggesting they had been working under assumed names for years. Two others signed in 2023, and one in 2024. According to court filings, six of the men admitted to using false identities during questioning.
The eight individuals include five from Nicaragua, two from Guatemala, and one from El Salvador, according to ICE. U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica Duffy authorized the search warrants that led to the arrests and ordered that the men be held by the U.S. Marshals Service pending a preliminary hearing within 14 days. This hearing will allow the men to contest the charges and request pretrial release.
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