Thread: Feds Raid 6 Swift and Company Meatpacking Plants

Feds Raid 6 Swift and Company Meatpacking Plants in Apparent Illegal Immigration Search

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,236044,00.html

GREELEY, Colo. — Federal agents raided six Swift & Co. processing plants in six states on Tuesday in search of illegal immigrants who stole the identities of lawful U.S. residents and used their Social Security numbers to get jobs at the beef and pork company.

Agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency executed search warrants at Swift's processing facilities in Greeley, Colo.; Grand Island, Neb.; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.

ICE officials didn't give the total number of people arrested but said workers were being apprehended on administrative immigration violations and in some cases, existing criminal arrest warrants. The warrants allow federal agents to arrest anyone at the plant who is in the United States illegally.

ICE said criminal charges of aggravated identity theft and other violations were possible.

In Greeley, cars lined the street leading to the plant as family members stood outside. One person held a sign that said, "Presents! No tears at Christmas!"

A company statement obtained by FOXNews.com said all the facilities raided except the one in Hyrum are unionized. No civil or criminal charges have yet been filed against Swift or any current employees.

The company said every employee hired since 1997 has completed the proper forms and received proper work authorization from the government.

"Swift has never condoned the employment of unauthorized workers, nor have we ever knowingly hired such individuals," said Swift & Company CEO Sam Rovit. "Swift has played by the rules and relied in good faith on a program explicitly held out by the president of the United States as an effective tool to help employers comply with applicable immigration laws."

A federal investigation that began in February of this year uncovered large numbers of illegal immigrants who may have used the Social Security numbers of lawful U.S. citizens or residents to get jobs at Swift.

Hundreds of potential victims have been identified by immigration officials and the Federal Trade Commission.

ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, FTC and other agencies will hold a press conference on the raids in Washington Wednesday.

"We have been investigating a large identity theft scheme that has victimized many U.S. citizens and lawful residents," ICE spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said at the plant in Greeley.

Swift said operations at its facilities have been temporarily suspended and expects that ICE will be finished interviewing employees by the end of the day. Once the company gets back up and running, the statement said, "production levels will depend on the number of employees, if any, detained for further interviewing or otherwise unable to return to work."

Swift said it's not sure how the raids will affect its operations but said "any loss of a significant number of employees" at any one facility could slow things down until those workers are replaced.

The company said it believes Tuesday's raids "violate the agreements associated with the company's participation over the past ten years in the federal government's Basic Pilot worker authorization program and raise serious questions as to the government's possible violation of individual workers' civil rights."

Basic Pilot is a voluntary federal program where businesses can check the legal work status of new employees against government databases. In his fiscal 2007 budget request to Congress early this year, President Bush requested $135 million to expand the current program.

Click here for more information on Basic Pilot

Swift said all of its domestic production facilities have agreements with the federal government under Basic Pilot to protect employers participating employers from government-initiated civil and criminal penalties.

"Current law limits an employer's ability to scrutinize the background and identity of new hires, and — as Swift learned first-hand — employers can, in fact, be punished for probing too deeply into applicants' backgrounds," the company said.

That was in reference to the 2000 complaint filed by the Justice Department's Special Counsel for Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices that alleged Swift engaged in a "pattern and practice" of document-based discrimination against job applicants. The department sought civil damages of $2.5 million.

The Justice Department said Swift's Worthington, Minn., plant engaged in discrimination and unfair practices when hiring U.S. citizens and lawful immigrant workers who were believed to look or sound "foreign." Justice claimed those individuals were more heavily scrutinized than others during the employment process.

After two years, Swift settled the claim for about $200,000.

"Swift & Company fully supports comprehensive immigration reform to address the significant policy tension that exists between the need for employers to accurately determine workers' eligibility versus the need to address privacy and non-discrimination concerns," the company said Tuesday. "The company remains committed to preventing the employment of unauthorized workers in its workforce."

With operations in Australia as well as the United States, Swift & Company is the country's third fresh meat processor behind Tyson Foods and Cargill Meat Solutions, with sales of $9 billion a year.

Once the meat-processing business of agriculture giant ConAgra, Swift was spun off and is now indirectly owned through various holding companies such as HM Capital Partners (formerly Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst) and Booth Creek Management.

Founded in 1855, Swift's customers include retail, foodservice and further-processing companies.

Duplicate post.

ID thieves targeted in immigration raids
Feds raid Swift meat-packing plants at six locations

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16169899/

GREELEY, Colo. - Federal agents on Tuesday raided six meatpacking plants across the country, targeting illegal immigrants who obtained jobs by stealing the identities of U.S. citizens.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had surrounded the Swift plant in Greeley as well as five other Swift plants. It was not immediately known how many people were rounded up in the raids.

Authorities say the investigation began in February and that they have identified hundreds of potential victims.

Similar raids were staged at Swift plants in Marshalltown, Iowa; Worthington, Minn.; Grand Island, Neb.; Cactus, Texas; and Hyrum, Utah.

ICE chief Julie Myers told reporters in Washington that agents had uncovered a scheme in which illegal immigrants and others had stolen or bought the identities and Social Security numbers of possibly hundreds of lawful U.S. residents to get jobs with Greeley-based meat processor, Swift & Co.

In Greeley, cars lined the street leading to the plant as family members stood outside. One person held a sign that said, “Presents! No tears at Christmas!”

One sheriff’s deputy described the scene outside the meatpacking plant in Hyrum as a circus.

“They’ve got three buses, a bunch of transport vans, a lot of cars and 150 or so agents,” chief Cache County deputy David Bennett said Tuesday.

Bennett said ICE officials didn’t notify the sheriff’s department about the raid.

“They didn’t ask for our help,” Bennett said. “We were lucky to find out.”

Company complains
In a press release, Swift said the raids violate agreements it worked out with the federal government and could violate its workers' civil rights.

"Swift has never condoned the employment of unauthorized workers, nor have we ever knowingly hired such individuals. Since the inception of the (federal government's) Basic Pilot program in 1997, every single one of Swift's new domestic hires, including those being interviewed today by ICE officials, has duly completed I-9 forms and has received work authorization through the government's Basic Pilot program. Swift has played by the rules and relied in good faith on a program explicitly held out by the President of the United States as an effective tool to help employers comply with applicable immigration laws," the company said.

Swift, a global company with annual sales of more than $8 billion, added that five of the six facilities raided are unionized — all except the one in Utah — and that no charges have been filed against the company "or any current employees."

The six plants represent all of Swift's domestic beef processing capacity and 77 percent of its pork processing, the company said.

Several rings suspected
Myers said immigration officials were “looking very aggressively” at who may have sold the identities to the workers in several cases. She said ICE had uncovered several different rings that may have provided illegal documents.

Some immigrants targeted had genuine U.S. birth certificates and others had other kinds of false identification, Myers said.

“The significance is that we’re serious about work site enforcement and that those who steal identities of U.S. citizens will not escape enforcement,” Myers said

ICE officials at the plants in Greeley and Worthington, Minn., said the total number of arrests might not be released until Wednesday, when a news conference was scheduled in Washington.

“We have been investigating a large identity theft scheme that has victimized many U.S. citizens and lawful residents,” said ICE spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez, at the plant in Greeley.

YESSSSS

Illegals are the hard-working family folk doing the jobs Americans won't do. Yes they are working very hard at CHEATING Americans, rob us blind and laugh about it.

The Denver Post has the raid in Greely online now, and a good point made is that this is not just about illegals working here, it's also often identity theft if they are using the ID of an actual American. A year or so ago, a local paper called Westword had an article in which a local woman with a Hispanic name suddenly got an angry letter from the IRS demanding to know why she'd never declared or paid taxes on that 20K she earned at that other job across town. Of course - it wasn't her, but someone using her name and SSN. It can mess up your credit bad, too, if only by changing your profile if they run up debt or default.

Examples of the damage fraudulent illegals do, from the actual arrest warrants:

From the Greeley Tribune, actual examples of the havoc wrought when someone takes over your ID. This is happening more and more especially to Americans of Hispanic descent. Imagine if you were trying to buy your first home or get a job you really needed that required a credit check, and something like this turned up.

"• On Oct. 30, 2003, a man claiming to be Luis J. Pena filled out forms identifying him as a citizen and a Colorado driver’s license. FTC records list Pena as an Arizona resident and filed a complaint after a credit report indicated he had worked at several companies he’d never heard of. An ICE agent compared photos of Pena and the Swift employee and determined they are different people. Pena told agents he works for the U.S. Border Patrol in Nogales, Ariz. He said he learned in 1998 or 1999 he requested his credit report and learned about the problems.

• On Sept. 3, 2002, a man claiming to be Levy Jacob Medina filled out a form identifying him as a citizen with a Kansas I.D. FTC records show Medina is actually a Texas resident and filed a complaint after the IRS sent him a letter about unclaimed income on his 2004 tax returns. An ICE agent compared photos of Medina with the Swift employee and determined they are different people. Medina’s nephew told an agent his uncle had returned to Mexico.

• On June 11, 2003, a man claiming to be Daniel Aaron Trujillo filled out forms identifying him as citizen with a Kansas I.D. FTC records list him as a Colorado resident and show he filed a complaint after the IRS let him know someone had used his information to get a job at Swift. An ICE agent compared photos of Trujillo and the Swift worker and determined they are not the same person. Trujillo told agents he filed a complaint with the FTC two weeks ago. He said he lost his social security card ad birth certificate in 2003 while he was moving. He said he was born in Colorado and has never lived in Kansas. He also said his is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. The warrant is for a suspect who is 5 feet tall and weighs 125 pounds.

• On May 16, 2003, a woman claiming to be Maria Padilla filled out forms identifying her as a citizen with a Kansas I.D. FTC records show Padilla is actually a California resident and filed a complaint after she learned someone had used her information to get a job at an unknown company and open an account with Amerencips. An ICE agent compared photos of Padilla and a Swift employee and determined they are different people.

• On Aug. 18, 2003, a man claiming to be Javier Nevarez filled out forms identifying him as a citizen with a Kansas I.D. FTC records show Nevarez is actually a Texas resident and filed a complaint saying someone used his identity to open a credit card account with Citi Bank and an account with Southwestern Bell. He said he’d gotten bills for about $1,000. An agent compared photos of Nevarez and the Swift worker and determined they are different people.'

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2006 ... S/61212024

" On Feb. 9, 2003, Flavio Alvarado-Villagrana filled out forms identifying him as a citizen with Kansas I.D. FTC records show Alvarado-Villagrana is a resident of Colorado and filed a complaint that someone was using his information to for employment purposes. ICE agents compared a photo of Alvarado-Villagrana with that of the Swift employee and determined they are different people. Alvarado-Villagrana told ICE agents he wished to pursue charges.

• On May 15, 2003, a man identifying himself as Aaron Rey Juarez filled out forms identifying him as citizen with a Wyoming I.D. FTC records show Juarez is actually a California resident, and he believes his information may have been stolen when he lost his wallet. ICE agents compared his driver’s license photo with a photo of the Swift employee and determined they are not the same people. Juarez’s wife told agents her husband had never lived in Colorado or Wyoming and someone had used his I.D. to apply for at least seven places, including “Swift Beef Company.”

• On Nov. 21, 2005, a woman claiming to be Maria Benavente filled out forms identifying her as a citizen with a California I.D. FTC records show Benavente is actually a resident of Texas and filed a complaint after she got a letter from the IRS. ICE agents compared photos of Benavente and the Swift employee and determined they are different people. Benavente told agents she has never lived in California, has never been employed and is about 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. The warrant is filed for a woman who is about 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 153 pounds.

• On Aug. 6, 2001, a woman claiming to be Karina Jimenez filled out forms identifying her as a citizen with a Utah I.D. FTC records show Jimenez is actually a California resident and filed a complaint after the IRS contacted her and said someone had used her information for employment purposes in Colorado and Texas. ICE agents compared photos of Jimenez and the Swift employee and determined they were different people. Jimenez told agents she has never lived in Utah and is a U.S. citizen by birth. She said she wished to pursue charges.

• On Apr. 8, 2005, a woman claiming to be Theresa Sanchez filled out forms identifying her as a citizen with a Colorado I.D. FTC records show Sanchez is actually a Texas resident and filed a complaint after she got a statement from the IRS in Jan. 2003, that her tax refund of $5,400 was being held because she had failed to report $120,000 in wages since 1996. ICE agents compared photos of Sanchez and the Swift employee and determined they are different people. Sanchez told an ICE agent she has only lived in Texas and is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. The arrest warrant is for a woman who is about 5 feet tall and weighs 120 pounds. According to the FTC the suspect used Sanchez’s name and social security number for jobs, college and to get unemployment benefits. Sanchez provided several addresses for the suspect and thought she might have gotten her information from her ex-husband. She also said she has been denied credit."

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2006 ... S/61212018

"• On July 6, 2006, a woman claiming to be Edna Flores completed a portion of her Form I-9 that identified her as a U.S. citizen with a Colorado I.D. card. Federal Trade Commission records show Edna Flores is actually a resident of Texas and filed a complaint after she got a notice from the IRS saying she owed back taxes. ICE agents compared a photo of Edna Flores with the Swift employee and determined they were different people.

• On Nov. 26, 2002, a man claiming to be Otilio Torres Rivera completed forms that identified her as a citizen with a North Carolina I.D. card. A death certificate shows Rivera died Feb. 2, 2005. His sister filed a complaint after receiving an earning report from the Social Security Administration saying he was employed. His sister also reported Virginia police told her Rivera’s vehicle was in an accident after he had died.

• On Jan. 4, 2002, a man claiming to be Alvino De Leon Correa completed forms that identified him as citizen with a Colorado I.D. card. FTC records show Correa is actually a resident of Texas. He believes his information may have been stolen when he lost his wallet. ICE agents compared a driver’s license photo of Correa with that of the Swift employee and determined they were different people.

• On July 30, 2001, a woman claiming to be Yesenia Lopez filled out forms identifying her as citizen with a Nebraska I.D. card. FTC record show Yesenia Hernandez is a California resident and filed a complaint after she learned someone using her maiden name was employed at “Swift Beef Company.” Ice agents used a copy of her driver’s license to determine she and the Swift employee were different people. When contacted by agents, she said Hernandez said she had never lived in Nebraska or Colorado.

• On Mar. 11, 2003, a woman claiming to be Jennifer Rosas filled out forms identifying her as a citizen with a Colorado I.D. card. FTC records show that Rosas is actually a resident of Texas and filed a complaint after learning someone used her I.D. to get a driver’s license in Arkansas and get a job at “Swift Beef Company.” She reported someone may have stolen her I.D. when they stole her purse. ICE agents compared her driver’s license photo with a photo of the Swift employee and determined they are different people."[/i]

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2006 ... S/61212015

Man who yelled support for ICE in Greeley raid threatened by protesters:

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2006 ... S/61212022

"There was a tense five minutes when an ICE supporter arrived and called from the fence line to ICE agents: “I support what you’re doing, and a lot of people support what you’re doing.”

Protesters ascended on the man and chased him toward H Street. Greeley police followed as the crowd shouted threats against the man and his family. "

And, protestors tried to block the buses carrying out the workers who were arrested: http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2006 ... S/61212021

Latino on Latino crime. It's gonna be interesting who the advocates come out for on this one.

Ok, so how is this a raid if the federal government let Swift schedule it at their convenience? How many illegals were tipped off to not show up to work? check the bold part of the article below:

http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGN ... 89c01ca7bf


The Greeley Police Department confirms this information and says they are assisting in the situation.

According to ICE, civil search warrants were issued at six facilities owned by Swift & Company. The warrants relate to a "worksite enforcement investigation that has identified a large identity theft scheme that has victimized large numbers of U.S. citizens and lawful residents."

Warrants were issued in Greeley, Colorado, Grand Island, Nebraska, Cactus, Texas, Hyrum, Utah, Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minnesota.

ICE says the warrants allow them to search for and arrest any undocumented workers at the facilities.

An arrest total was not immediately available from ICE as they are still in the process of apprehending workers. They added that the illegal aliens are being arrested on administrative immigration violations and for some, existing criminal arrest warrants. ICE also said additional charges may be added later.

In a statement released Tuesday morning Swift & Company said no civil or criminal charges have been filed against them or any current employees. They added that operations have been suspended during the investigation but they plan to resume operations shortly thereafter.

The investigation has been ongoing since February 2006 and shows that a large number of illegal aliens have been using the identities and Social Security numbers of U.S. citizens or lawful U.S. residents to gain employment.

Officials say hundreds of potential victims have been identified.

Swift & Company President and CEO Sam Rovit said, "Swift has never condoned the employment of unauthorized workers, nor have we ever knowingly hired such individuals." Swift also said in the prepared statement they believe Tuesday's actions by the government violate the agreements associated with the company's participation in the Basic Pilot Program for worker authorization.

9NEWS has learned that last week Swift & Company went to court in Texas to file a restraining order to stop the raid from happening.

9NEWS has also learned the raid was scheduled to happen Monday, but an agreement was made between Swift & Company and the Federal Government to delay the raid because Japanese businessmen, who are potential customers, were visiting the Greeley plant.

Since 1997, Swift has been using a government pilot program to confirm whether Social Security numbers are valid. Company officials have previously said one shortcoming may be the program's inability to detect when two people are using the same number.

Cars lined the street leading to the plant as hundreds of workers' family members gathered, with some trying to deliver documentation to relatives inside. ICE officials have established a hotline for family members of workers who may have been detained. That toll-free number is 1-866-341-3858.

Additional information is expected from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security during a press conference set for Wednesday.

9NEWS has a crew at the Greeley Swift & Company processing plant. 9NEWS.com will continue to update this story as more information is made available.

Swift is headquartered in Greeley and has processing or distribution plants in at least 11 states for beef, pork and lamb.