Golf course immigration probe continues | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

County police met with officials from Billy Casper Golf Monday to discuss concerns that the company employed illegal workers at the county's Compass Pointe Golf Course in Pasadena and Eisenhower Golf Course in Crownsville.

The investigation came after several of employees fled their jobs at Compass Pointe late last month when county police visited the course on a tip about undocumented workers. More workers apparently did the same thing at Eisenhower a few days later.

At Monday's meeting, the company did not bring immigration documents the county had requested, prompting Chief Administrative Officer Dennis Callahan to question the behavior of company officials.

"If I were them, I would have brought the information," Mr. Callahan said, later adding he can't understand why the company would notify employees about the immigration audit and let them leave their jobs.

County policy allows the county to revoke any contract if a company knowingly employs undocumented workers and Billy Casper has an eight-year, $1.4-million contract to operate both county-owned golf courses. Mr. Callahan and County Executive John R. Leopold said the county could terminate the contract with Billy Casper.

In a letter Friday to County Attorney Jonathan Hodgson, Billy Casper Senior Vice President Joseph D. Livingood said the company did not automatically hand over immigration information because the company is "required by law to protect the privacy interests of our employees."

Mr. Livingood also said the company reviewed the documents of employees who left their jobs and the paperwork appeared "acceptable and appropriate."

Sgt. John Gilmer, a police spokesman, said Billy Casper is cooperating with the investigation and that another meeting with Billy Casper officials has been scheduled for later this week.

Billy Casper spokesman Rich Katz, a senior vice president, had a different take than Mr. Callahan.

"It was a very cordial, productive and cooperative meeting," Mr. Katz said. "We're all on the same page, finalizing details that we're confident will ultimately establish our firm is in compliance with the law."

Golfers at Compass Pointe said yesterday the 36-hole course appeared to be in decent shape even after the departure of some of the employees. A few said it looked as if the sand traps and bunkers hadn't been touched in a few days, but it had also rained recently, they said.

"There were grounds keepers out there," said Chris Athearn of Severn, whose son was attending a golf camp at the course.

Some golfers said the investigation of Billy Casper wouldn't keep them from hitting the links, and said they expected other golfers to have the same reaction.

"They know it goes on," Scott Martin of Annapolis said. "Everyone needs to make a living."

Others, like Pasadena residents Gill Trainor, Collin Owens and Tommy Francovitch, said so many businesses hire illegal immigrants that it probably wouldn't shock many golfers.

Mr. Francovitch, a political science and theology major at Eastern University in Pennsylvania, criticized public policy regarding illegal immigrants.

"We're so busy trying to prevent them from coming into the country, and we don't do anything to help them get jobs once they're here," he said.

Staff Writer Allison Bourg contributed to this story,