We have received a couple comments as to why we have not run the story on Gold Canyon Candles. So, in order to appease our readers, here is the whole story. I want to start off by saying there are many many conflicting reports, however I will get to the bottom of it the best that I can……
On September 10th, Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies along with an entire SWAT team raided the Arizona based Gold Canyon Candle Company. The candle company makes candles that are sold through a network of independent distributors. The raid was conducted for two reasons, 1) to arrest those suspected of being involved in identity theft and 2) arresting illegal immigrants.
The September 10th raid netted 23 arrests on suspicion of identity theft and 42 arrests for illegal immigrants. An additional five U.S. citizens were arrested on outstanding warrants.
Gold Canyon Company spokeswoman Rebecca Clyde said deputies showed up with a search warrant, not only looking for illegal workers, but also looking for specific individuals on charges of identity theft. The Sheriffs Dept says that they have already verified three victims of identity theft so far, including one person who is a Washington, D.C., White House staff member working in the Bush administration.
There have been raids on several businesses in the area in the last year and in response to those raids Gold Canyon claims they have taken steps to ensure that all of their employees are in compliance with the all immigration laws. Company spokeswoman Rebecca Clyde says the company has used e-Verify since last year and has always complied with federal law. “Gold Canyon has always used every single tool that the government has given them to verify documents and done everything it legally is allowed to do to verify employees’ status,” she said.
Gold Candle remains firm in their stance that they will be found innocent of all charges related to hiring illegal immigrants. Arizona recently passed an employer-sanction law that punishes employers for hiring and employing those who are not legal to work in the United States.
There have been claims back and forth of some shady activity by the Sheriffs department and by Gold Canyon. Reports from over 100 Gold Canyon employees say that their civil rights were violated by the Sheriff’s department by being held against their will in conference rooms for up to five hours. On the other side of the fight, the Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said that they received a tip that workers were told by someone in management to toss their IDs and run if the sheriff showed up. If you want to read Gold Canyon’s response, click here.
Only time will tell what will come of all of this. The company thus far has not been charged with any wrongdoing. The sheriffs department and attorney general say that it will take some time to sort through all of the papers, but they will stay on top of it.
As details of the raid and its aftermath become more clear, we will definitely keep you up-to-date. In the meantime, its business as usual over at Gold Canyon Candle Co. Oh….and by the way, Gold Canyon is a member of the DSA- and no word or update on the status of the company from the DSA, another example of your hard earned money at work over at the DSA.
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