Agriprocessors Executives Talk About Charges
by Cole Mathisen
KIMT News 3

Postville, IA- The owners of a notorious meat packing plant are talking tough after an eventful Tuesday.

Agriprocessors incorporated of Postville is reacting to a big criminal complaint filed by Iowa’s attorney general.

You'll remember the plant was the site of an immigration raid this past May. Now the attorney general claims Agriprocessors committed more than nine-thousand violations of child labor law. They involve around 30 people, under age of 18. Federal prosecutors are also accusing two Agriprocessors employees of helping illegal workers get false I.D.'s.

The small town of Postville, IA is still trying to recover from one of the largest immigration raids in US history. Many of the detainee's family members found shelter at Saint Bridget’s Catholic Church. Sister Mary McCauley says the town is a mess.

"It’s kind of an overpowering situation, and so to say that the community is shattered and scattered, I think that would be a correct estimation," she said.

While the raid here in Postville has ruined the lives of many former Agriprocessors workers, it has created job opportunities for hundreds more."

"I'm trying to start my life over and get it together now and be on my own like a normal responsible person should be, and I figured I'd come out here and give it a try," said Agriprocessors Employee William Smith.

He traveled from Indiana to work at the kosher meat packing plant after the raid. Now he's hoping the state's child labor charges won't force a shutdown.

"This is a criminal case and it's a case against the corporation and against the individuals. It does not relate to the operation of the plant and the future of the plants." Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.

Agriprocessors is denying they knowingly hired underage workers. A statement from the company says "all of the minors at issue lied about their age in order to gain employment at the company."

Sister McCauley is happy about the charges.

"Their lives were really threatened, and this is criminal activity and so we're really grateful to the lawyers that have worked with us to the legal system that it is working," she said.

In its reaction statement to the charges, Agriprocessors says the state has a tough task ahead.

A company spokesperson says the state is going to have to prove that they deliberately violated child labor laws.
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