Phoenix Taco Shop Owner Busted For Hiring Illegals – Time To Crack Down On Employers

Knowingly hiring illegal aliens is a major crime, and under President Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan, the federal government is cracking down on employers who exploit cheap migrant labor. In some cases, employers have even been caught hiring illegal alien children (or maybe even trafficked by labor mules), as exposed during last week’s ICE raids on marijuana farms in Governor Newsom’s far-left progressive utopia of California.

Hiring scrutiny on employers continues nationwide, with local media outlet 12 News in the Phoenix area reporting that Homeland Security Investigations arrested Blademir Angulo, 42, after a four-month-long investigation found he had hired at least a dozen illegal aliens at his restaurant, El Taco Loko. 

Here’s more from the local media outlet:

According to court documents, Angulo not only hired the workers but also allegedly paid them in cash and allowed them to live in recreational vehicles and trailers on property he owns in Laveen, near 63rd Avenue and Baseline Road. Agents also surveilled a second property near 16th Avenue and Southern Avenue as part of the investigation.

An 18-page federal complaint filed on July 11 charges Angulo with four federal crimes: Alien in Possession of a Firearm, Harboring Illegal Aliens, Improper Entry by an Alien, and a Pattern and Practice of Knowingly Employing Unauthorized Aliens.

In an interview, Angulo admitted that he knew what he was doing was illegal, but denied ever paying money to anyone to bring his employees across the southern border. One employee had a differing account, reportedly telling investigators he owed Angulo $12,000 for smuggling him into the United States.

“A West Phoenix taco shop owner is in federal custody tonight, accused of knowingly hiring a dozen illegal immigrants at his business.”

“The owner of the shop is accused of smuggling and hiring people who are not American citizens.” pic.twitter.com/glzY5BBKSu

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 15, 2025

The case in Phoenix should serve as a major wake-up call to employers nationwide who have hired illegals and displaced American labor with cheap, unauthorized labor. Trump’s immigration officials are ramping up enforcement against such business owners, and as the administration moves to end temporary legal protections for migrants, major corporations (view here) that employed them are also going to come under increased scrutiny. 

Enforcing immigration policies has already sparked a labor renaissance for native workers.