Monday evening, a woman living on Harvey Avenue said she saw the trio walking up the steps to her home and they looked suspicious, so she locked the door and ran to the basement to call police.

When police arrived, they saw Jose Martinez, of Newell, and two other men who police said admitted to being in the U.S. illegally.

Mingo Junction Police Chief Steve Maguschak said the men were armed with a .25-caliber automatic pistol and a pickax.

"The suspects stated that the homeowner's boyfriend owed them money and they were there to collect it," Maguschak said.

The victims said they have no idea who the men are. The suspects remain in the Jefferson County Justice Center on charges of felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.

The two suspected illegal immigrants are scheduled to be picked up by immigration officials.

With regard to illegal immigration in general, U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, a Democrat from Ohio, said, "We need comprehensive immigration reform and we need it done on a federal level. And the sooner we do that and get down to enforcing the laws we have -- not granting amnesty to the people who have come here illegally -- moving forward with a comprehensive immigration program, the better off we're going to be."

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