COLUMBIA, TN.- Police believe they uncovered an employment pipeline running through Tennessee when they detained 14 undocumented workers in Columbia.
On Tuesday, the Maury County Sheriff's narcotics and vice unit discovered the group aboard a van stopped for speeding.
The 12 men and two women were held at the Maury County Jail until they are taken into federal custody. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will process the men and women.
The detainees, who were not charged with any crimes, were en route to jobs elsewhere in the United States. Police said an ICE agent said the 14 people were not in the United States legally.
During a search of the vehicle, police found a folder with a list of names and delivery locations, like a manifest.
Investigators said they may be illegal contract workers who came from Mexico to Houston with the promise of work.
Capt. Nathan Johns said it's likely a middle man arranged to ship the illegal workers north to the employers who need them.
"It would appear that way, yes," Johns said.
Investigators said this incident represents how some illegal workers enter the country from Mexico.
For the brokers behind it, providing inexpensive labor is a business unto itself. They provide employees to employers seeking low-cost labor.
The van's driver was cited for speeding and released. He was hired through a legitimate company to transport the workers, unaware of their immigration status.
The case has been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division.
Federal agents hope to track down both the labor brokers and the employers who expected to hire the undocumented immigrants.
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