Thread: ICE Raids Pilgrims Pride Chicken Plants

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0408/511846.html

Federal Immigration Agents Raid Poultry Plant


Federal agents raided a north Arkansas poultry plant Wednesday morning after managers gave them a tip about some workers using stolen identity documents.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Temple Black tells The Associated Press that the arrests came as part of an ongoing criminal investigation that involved a Pilgrim's Pride poultry plant in Batesville. Black declined to say how many people were arrested or describe the nature of the investigation.

Pittsburg, Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride spokesman Ray Atkinson says the company went to ICE agents with information about identity theft at the Batesville plant. The plant employs about 370 people. Atkinson said says no criminal or civil charges had been filed against the company.

ICE agents also conducted simultaneous raids at five other Pilgrim's Pride plant locations across the country, Atkinson said. Those included Chattanooga, Tennessee; Live Oak, Florida; Mount Pleasant, Texas; and Moorefield, West Virginia.

Black says ICE agents also served unrelated arrest warrants Wednesday morning in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Georgia, Black said.

Julie Myers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant secretary, told The Associated Press that more than 100 people were expected to be arrested on criminal charges related to identity theft.

It was unclear how many more would be detained on immigration charges at the plants in Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and West Virginia, she said. Agency spokeswoman Kelly Nantel had estimated at least 100 such administrative arrests.

Mexican consul Andres Chao said he called authorities Wednesday morning to remind them that the law entitled every citizen of his country to speak officials from the Little Rock consulate after their arrest.

Federal officials did not immediately give details or say if that operation was connected with the Arkansas raid.

Wednesday's raid is the first for ICE on an Arkansas poultry plant since a July 27, 2005, raid on a Petit Jean Inc. Poultry plant in Arkadelphia. That day, agents arrested 119 suspected illegal immigrants.

Pilgrim's Pride has about 55,000 employees and operates dozens of facilities, mostly across the South and in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=64077

Update: Federal Immigration Agents Raid Batesville Poultry Plant


Federal agents raided a north Arkansas poultry plant Wednesday morning after managers gave them a tip about some workers using stolen identity documents.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Temple Black tells The Associated Press that the arrests came as part of an ongoing criminal investigation that involved a Pilgrim's Pride poultry plant in Batesville. Black declined to say how many people were arrested or describe the nature of the investigation.

Pittsburg, Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride spokesman Ray Atkinson says the company went to ICE agents with information about identity theft at the Batesville plant. The plant employs about 370 people. Atkinson said says o criminal or civil charges had been filed against the company.

ICE agents also conducted simultaneous raids at five other Pilgrim's Pride plant locations across the country, Atkinson said. Those included Chattanooga, Tennessee; Live Oak, Florida; Mount Pleasant, Texas; and Moorefield, West Virginia.

Black says ICE agents also served unrelated arrest warrants this morning in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Georgia, Black said.

Julie Myers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant secretary, told The Associated Press that more than 100 people were expected to be arrested on criminal charges related to identity theft.

It was unclear how many more would be detained on immigration charges at the plants in Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and West Virginia, she said. Agency spokeswoman Kelly Nantel had estimated at least 100 such administrative arrests.

Mexican consul Andres Chao said he called authorities Wednesday morning to remind them that the law entitled every citizen of his country to speak officials from the Little Rock consulate after their arrest.

Federal officials did not immediately give details or say if that operation was connected with the Arkansas raid.

Wednesday's raid is the first for ICE on an Arkansas poultry plant since a July 27, 2005, raid on a Petit Jean Inc. poultry plant in Arkadelphia. That day, agents arrested 119 suspected illegal immigrants.

Pilgrim's Pride has about 55,000 employees and operates dozens of facilities mostly across the South and in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

http://www.fox16.com/news/local/story.a ... 0aaca7e56d

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Federal agents raided a north Arkansas poultry plant Wednesday morning over suspected immigration violations, authorities said.

Temple Black, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told The Associated Press that the arrests came as part of an ongoing criminal investigation that involved a Pilgrim's Pride poultry plant in Batesville. Black declined to say how many people were arrested or describe the nature of the investigation.

"We anticipate agents and officers will be on the premises for several hours," Black said. "More information about the investigation and those arrested will be available this afternoon."

Independence County Sheriff Keith Bowers said the raid occurred at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Bowers said ICE agents did not tell him what their purpose was in raiding the plant.

Bowers said he and five other deputies only provided security at the plant's gates during the operation and left just after 8 a.m.

"They came in in cooperation with Pilgrim's Pride," Bowers said.

Ray Atkinson, a spokesman for Pittsburg, Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride, did not immediately return a call for comment Wednesday morning. The company has other plants in Arkansas in Clinton, De Queen and El Dorado.

Wednesday's raid is the first for ICE on an Arkansas poultry plant since a July 27, 2005, raid on a Petit Jean Inc. poultry plant in Arkadelphia. That day, agents arrested 119 suspected illegal immigrants.

Mexican consul Andres Chao said he called authorities Wednesday morning to remind them that the law entitled every citizen of his country to speak officials from the Little Rock consulate after their arrest.

The only thing the official will be able to say is "Dude, you're screwed"!!

GO ICE

Pilgrim's Pride has about 55,000 employees and only 100 are Illegal Aliens? Or do they only arrest IAs who steal IDs and the company thinks it looks good by throwing ICE a bone.

lets call ICE and say THANKS and tell them TYSON needs to be next

866-347-2423

Originally Posted by jimpasz

Pilgrim's Pride has about 55,000 employees and only 100 are Illegal Aliens? Or do they only arrest IAs who steal IDs and the company thinks it looks good by throwing ICE a bone.

i think that means they have 55,000 employees working in plants all across the country and in puerto rico

"jimpaz" this looks like a joke on the American people to me, there is no way out of 55,000 employee's only 100 are illegal or only 100 are using stolen ID....what crap!!

ICE Local news conference at 2:30 Local time in Dallas

Federal agents raided a north Arkansas poultry plant Wednesday morning after managers gave them a tip about some workers using stolen identity documents.

I wonder if these managers knew the identity documents were stolen when they hired these illegal invaders?

And if they didn't know, this is another example at to why every business that hires labor should be required to use E-Verify. Obviously, illegals are presenting fradulent and or stolen documents and using them to obtain jobs.

E-Verify should be mandatory for any business or company who has been raided by ICE and was found to have illegals employed in which that employment was obtained using fradulent identification.