12 charged in upstate NY airport immigration sting; police say warehouse workers forged papers

12 charged in upstate NY airport immigration sting

NEWBURGH, N.Y. — Authorities say a dozen workers at a warehouse at an upstate New York airport have been charged with using forged immigration documents to get jobs.

State police say the employees of Empire Warehouse Solutions at Stewart International Airport in Newburgh have been charged with falsifying business records and offering a false instrument for filing.

They say the 12 workers from Mexico, Peru, Chile, Guatemala and El Salvador used forged Social Security and resident alien cards to get hired.

The company says the workers all passed TSA background checks. TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis says it’s up to companies to properly vet the documents workers produce for employment.

Police say the workers didn’t pose a threat to air travelers and weren’t part of any larger criminal operation.