Detainees' sentencing hearings begin today
BY GRANT SCHULTE • gschulte@dmreg.com • May 19, 2008

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More than half of the 306 immigrant workers charged in last week’s Postville meatpacking raid are scheduled for plea and sentencing hearings that begin this morning, according to a federal court docket.

At least 169 of the Agriprocessors Inc. workers who are charged with aggravated identity theft, misuse of a Social Security number or other fraud-related charges will go before a judge this week to strike plea deals. The others facing criminal charges will appear in court this week for status conferences and possible plea hearings.


The hearings resume today in a makeshift courtroom at the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo. Nearly 90 of the workers are set to appear today.

The hearings come one week after federal police and customs agents raided the kosher meatpacking plant and detained 389 workers. The workers – 281 men and 25 women – are suspected illegal immigrants from Guatemala, Mexico, Ukraine and Israel.

The 327 workers who were not released on humanitarian grounds remain in U.S. custody in county jails and a federal holding unit at the Newton Correctional Facility.

Last week’s operation was the largest single-site immigration bust in U.S. history, drawing national media attention and hundreds of protesters to Waterloo.

This week’s hearings are the last that will take place in Waterloo. The federal government’s lease with the National Cattle Congress expires May 25, and any still-unresolved cases will move down to U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids.





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