Ohio County Sheriff calls I-70 'artery of illegal aliens'

From the Associated Press:

WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) -- Ohio County Sheriff Tom Burgoyne is calling Interstate 70 the "artery of illegal aliens'' after 18 illegals were taken into custody following a traffic stop early Thursday.

The detainees were among 64 illegal immigrants who have been taken into custody by the Ohio County Sheriff's Department since May, Burgoyne said.

"We have caught them east to west and west to east,'' Burgoyne said. "I (give) credit to deputies for being alert.''

U.S. Border Patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials were called to the scene at about 1:45 a.m. Thursday near exit four of Interstate 70 after the driver of a van was stopped for traveling 12 mph over the speed limit. The federal agency took 13 of the illegal immigrants into custody immediately and the remaining five were picked up later from the Northern Regional Jail.

The deputy spoke to the driver, who could not speak English. The deputy then found the remaining passengers in the back, including a 17-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy. All were traveling to New York, the sheriff said.

A large number of construction projects in the area has increased the potential for a number of illegal immigrants in Ohio County, Burgoyne said.

"If we learn of them working we are going to pay the construction site a visit and talk with the contractor involved and remove them from the site,'' he said.

---

Information from: The Intelligencer, http://www.theintelligencer.net