8 illegal immigrants arrested in Charlotte County

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The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrested eight illegal immigrants in Port Charlotte who all lived in one house without permission.

According to CCSO, a border patrol agent alerted deputies that he was searching for a man who had a federal warrant for resisting arrest with violence.

While attempting to serve the warrant, seven other people who were in the country illegally were taken into custody along with the wanted man.

After getting a tip from border patrol, they were just looking for one man, Jorge Pineda.

CCSO said they entered the home with a warrant for Pineda for violently resisting a border patrol agent.

Officials quickly arrested eight people in the home for trespassing after the homeowner said none of them were supposed to be in there.

Emilze Rodriguez is related to five of the eight people arrested, and she spoke with WINK News reporter Maddie Herron.

“They’re like, what immigration is in the house? And then some started running. Some started trying to climb the trees,” she said. “But I feel like it was all a misunderstanding.”

She and her family drove 18 hours from Texas to fix up Florida houses damaged in recent hurricanes.

“They ended up taking half of my family that actually had only come out here to work,” said Rodriguez, adding that they thought they had permission from their employer to stay in the home.

“I have kids younger than me asking for their parents, and I don’t know what to tell them. I’m stressed to the point where I don’t know what to do, like, parents are arrested. I don’t know if they’re gonna make it back or not,” said Rodriguez through tears.

Teary-eyed, the 18-year-old said those family members are in custody with ICE, now scattered across the state.

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