He hasn't been charged in the case -- yet. But does a judge who is the president of a company that actively violates our nation's immigration laws deserve to be on the bench?

Two corporations charged in an alleged plot to supply undocumented workers to Keppel AmFELS, an oilrig manufacturer based at the Port of Brownsville, are apparently run by a state district judge.

Judge Leonel Alejandro, who is presiding judge of the 357th District Court in Brownsville, has not been charged in the case, but he said he helped start Port Fabricators, which provided workers to AmFELS.

The two companies behind Port Fabricators, CPEP Inc. and LAMC Inc., and former employees Rolando Villanueva, 31, and Ernesto Casas, 33, of Brownsville, were named in a 15-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Brownsville earlier this month.

Alejandro is the president of both CPEP and LAMC, and the public record reflects he was AmFELSÂ’s attorney before taking his seat on the court in January 2003.

“Several years ago, I helped develop Port Fabricators at the Port of Brownsville and still have some involvement with the company,” Alejandro said in a prepared statement to The Herald. “The company has continuously cooperated throughout the process. It would not be appropriate to comment further given the preliminary information we have at this time.”

The corporations, Villanueva and Casas are charged with a combination of crimes, including conspiracy to produce, sell or transfer fraudulent employment documents to the workers, hiring more than 10 undocumented workers, accepting fraudulent documents, transferring fraudulent documents and using the identification of others.

Will there be action taken to remove this man from the bench pending the outcome of this case -- given that he appears to give the phrase "criminal judge" a whole new meaning.

Posted by: Greg at 11:03 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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