Leaders Meet After Illegal Aliens Found On City Projects
POSTED: 12:39 p.m. EST November 15, 2002
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- City leaders met Friday morning to discuss the recent arrest of undocumented workers found at "Better Jacksonville" work sites.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested nine undocumented workers at the construction site for the city's new sports arena earlier this week. The nine Mexican men declined their right to a deportation hearing and were taken to the Nassau County jail. They will be taken back to Mexico next week, Robinson said.
City officials told Channel 4 that six of the nine arrested workers used counterfeit documents to get hired.
The mayor's chief of staff says the city plans to review all of its work contracts and meet with project managers to make sure they are following the law. They city also expects to meet with the Border Patrol next week to discuss the problem.
"From our perspective, the system is working," Audrey Moran, the mayor's chief of staff, said after the meeting.
The arena is part of the city's Better Jacksonville Plan, funded by a half-cent sales tax increase in Duval County. The $130 million arena, which will seat about 16,000, is scheduled to open in November 2003.
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