U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested four undocumented migrants who were working illegally at a Luzerne County business, the agency said.
Agents arrested Mexican nationals Miguel Bruno-Vasquez, Vicente Coyotecal Matias and Jesus Gallardo-Bautista and Geoli Perez-Santana, a citizen of the Dominican Republic.
ICE and other agencies made the arrests June 5 during "a worksite enforcement operation" at Wyoming Valley Pallets Inc. in Exeter.
A call to the company was not immediately returned Monday afternoon.
The investigation began in March after federal agents were notified that Gallardo-Bautista was working at the company.
Gallardo-Bautista had an outstanding arrest warrant for allegedly driving under the influence and driving without a license in Scranton in 2021, ICE said. That case is still pending.
Gallardo-Bautista entered the U.S. on June 16, 2007, with authorization to remain until Dec. 11, 2007, but stayed in the country illegally after that date, ICE said. On May 8, 2013 he was ordered to be deported in absentia.
Bruno-Vasquez has no previous encounters with ICE, the agency said.
Coyotecal was arrested at the U.S. border twice in 1999, and given "voluntary returns," the agency said. According to the Justice Department, that allows someone who is in the county illegally to leave the U.S. at their own expense within a specific amount of time in order to avoid a deportation order.
Perez-Santana was arrested in October 2022 after illegally entering the country near Calexico, California, served a notice to appear and released on his own recognizance, ICE said.
All four individuals were transported to the Pike County Jail for processing after their arrests.
