A task force consisting of federal, state, and local officials began a sweeping round-up of 32 people charged with immigration and racketeering violations throughout Texas and Louisiana on Thursday.

Court documents say that two employment referral businesses in Houston were in the business of recuiting illegal aliens from Central America and Mexico and finding them positions working in Chinese restaurants.

“The Hong Li Job Agency and the Tai Shan Employment Agency operated a ‘take-out and delivery service’ for restaurants across the region – but they didn’t deliver food. Instead, they delivered people illegally present in the United States to greedy restaurant owners and managers looking for cheap labor,” said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of HSI Houston. “The illicit efforts of the defendants and others like them help push those unlawfully here deeper into the shadows, and the jobs they market serve as a magnet for future illegal immigration.”

These illegal workers routinely worked 12 hours per day, six days per week. In addition, they were not paid overtime, not permitted to receive tips or gratuities, and were paid in cash by the restaurants. The restaurants profited by avoiding paying employment taxes; and they did not provide any benefits such as health insurance, vacation or sick time. Workers were paid far less than minimum wage, did not receive health examinations, food safety training, or any job training at any time while employed.

The employers of the illegal aliens also housed many of the workers in substandard living conditions, often crowding them into small living quarters.

Each of the 32 defendents, were indicted and charged on November 7th, 2013, for Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy, the conspiracy to transport, harbor and encourage and induce illegal aliens to reside in the United States. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years for the RICO charge and up to 10 years for the immigration conspiracy charge.

The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigation offices in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and New Orleans; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Air and Marine; U.S. Marshals Service; and police department’s in Houston, Port Author and Beaumont.