JOHNSTOWN – Fulton County sheriff’s deputies said three illegal immigrants working construction at the Gloversville Walmart Supercenter site were detained by authorities after a traffic stop Saturday.
Deputies issued a news release indicating Bautista Valentin, Abraham Victor and Sergio Martin – all former residents of Tejupilco, Mexico – were detained at 6:41 a.m. after a vehicle stop on Route 29 in town.
Undersheriff Kevin Lenahan said today that Valentin was the driver and the vehicle was stopped for speeding. He said Valentin provided the deputy with a Virginia registration, but no driver’s license.
Lenahan said the responding deputy became suspicious and the workers were detained until officials from U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement arrived. ICE determined the men were undocumented illegal immigrants, he said.
Valentin was issued two traffic tickets for Town Court.
Lenahan said although all three were deemed illegal immigrants, Valentin and Martinez were taken into custody by ICE, but Victor was released because he has a court date.
Lenahan said what ICE officials now do to process the three men is up to federal authorities.
Lenahan also said the trio were coming from Amsterdam to the large site of the supercenter construction in Gloversville.
“They were actually working here” at the Walmart site, Lenahan said.
Walmart has employed Bast-Hatfield as its main contractor for the new 157,100-square-foot store building at the end of South Kingsboro Avenue Extension, but there also are other subcontractors at the site. Lenahan said he wasn’t sure which company hired the three illegal immigrants.
The store is scheduled to open July 10.
