There is news out of the 7-Eleven chain this morning beyond the unveiling of a low-calorie version of the Slurpee. Long Island Newsday reports that dozens of federal agents swarmed Long Island and Virginia at dawn on Monday, arresting owners and managers of the franchises for harboring and hiring illegal immigrants.
The raids on as many as 15 of the convenience stores were part of a broader nationwide sweep to end the illegal practice. The store owners also stand accused of wire fraud and using fake Social Security numbers to pay their workers.
The workers were mostly smuggled into the U.S. from Pakistan. According to New York station WPIX, a majority of the simultaneous raids happened in Suffolk County. As of Monday morning, 20 arrests had been made.
In an e-mailed statement to The Huffington Post, 7-Eleven higher-ups wrote that the chain will cooperate with federal authorities in the bust, adding that they would suspend further comment until more about the investigation had been ascertained.