AVON LAKE — Officials removed nine illegal immigrants Wednesday from an Avon Belden Road home, and they say the individuals had come from Mexico to work in a local restaurant.
The U.S. Marshals Office arrived at 571 Avon Belden Road around 9 a.m. to serve an arrest warrant for “a minor offense” to a man living at that address, said U.S. Marshal for Northern Ohio Pete Elliott.
That man, whose name wasn’t released, wasn’t home, but nine more were, Elliott said, adding two were hiding in a closet, six were inside the house and one drove up in the middle of everything.
When asked for identification by the marshals and Avon Lake police, the nine men said they didn’t have any because they were in the country illegally.
“The arrest warrant had nothing to do with immigration,” Elliott said. “You never know what you’re going to find in these types of situations. We didn’t expect that today, but that’s what today brought us.”
The marshals called U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Sandusky and asked for assistance. The men were taken into custody by Border Patrol without incident.
The house was rented two and a half years ago by a Hispanic man from neighbor Valerie Holub and her husband.
“They were quiet, kept to themselves,” Holub said. “We had no issues with them.”
Holub said they rented the house to a Hispanic man who said he was from the Carolinas and was opening a restaurant — Las Cazuelas, Authentic Mexican Restaurant — in the Landings Shopping Center at the corner of Walker Road and Avon Belden Road. There was no answer at the restaurant Wednesday afternoon.
“He said he was bringing some guys up from North or South Carolina, I can’t really remember which, to get it started,” Holub said.
Avon Lake Police Lt. Duane Streator said two Avon Lake officers assisted with Wednesday’s operation, he but deferred other questions to Border Patrol, who took custody of the undocumented workers.
Border Patrol Agent Chris Crogan said the men were taken to Sandusky for processing and a court appearance, adding he wasn’t sure what the next step for the men would be.
It was unknown in what capacity the men worked at Las Cazuelas.
Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.
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Photos by CT Photo Chief Bruce Bishop.
