WINNIE, Texas - Illegal immigrants hired to work on the Enbridge oil spill in Calhoun County, Mich., were arrested by Chambers County, Texas, authorities on Sept. 1.
Acting on a tip about two chartered buses parked behind a bank, deputies captured 42 men later found to be illegals.
A report from setx.com (southeastern Texas) said around 40 of those on the buses ran and were able to escape, and those captured were taken to a holding facility in Houston.
Upon hearing about the incident, Congressman Mark Schauer issued a statement recalling the Enbridge pledge to “do the right thing.”
“Enbridge needs to live up to the commitment it made to our community, be a good neighbor, and start hiring qualified Michigan workers to clean up the spill,” said the Battle Creek Democrat. “Our community repeatedly asked the EPA and Enbridge to use local labor, and the fact that Enbridge allowed one of its contractors to hire illegal immigrants is appalling.”
Enbridge Inc. affiliate Enbridge Energy Partners is engaged in a massive cleanup operation along Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River, where an estimated million gallons of oil began spilling into the creek in Marshall Township in late July. The spill likely occurred on July 25, but went undetected until the next day.
Texas authorities said the buses had been chartered by Hallmark Industrial, a cleanup company subcontracting with Garner Environmental Services, subcontracting with Enbridge. Enbridge reportedly fired Hallmark earlier in the week.
Schauer released letters sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) calling for an investigation of allegations of undocumented workers being used to clean up the spill.
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