Now the ACLU, LULAC and sundry other groups will start their thing.
And we will hear more of the "violation of human rights".
Raids in 6 States Met With Anger, Cheers
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Dec 13, 5:31 AM (ET)
By KIM NGUYEN
(AP) Federal ICE agents stand guard at the entrance of at a Swift & Company meat processing during a...
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GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - Outside a meatpacking plant fence here, a frustrated Tony Garcia watched as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swarmed inside.
"We need help," he yelled to them. "We need answers."
There were few of those Tuesday as agents began their initial sweep through Swift & Co. plants in six states, arresting illegal immigrants who had bought or stolen other people's iden ies to help them get Swift jobs.
Garcia, who said he has friends who work at the Greeley plant, was worried about the fate of schoolchildren whose parents were arrested. "Who is going to pick them up?" he asked.
The raids capped a 10-month investigation into an iden y-theft scheme that may have hundreds of victims, both U.S. citizens and legal residents, officials said.
Authorities did not say how mnay people were arrested at the plants in Greeley; Grand Island, Neb.; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.
The United Food and Commercial International Workers union said it would ask federal judges in all six states to halt the raids. Union spokeswoman Jill Cashen said attorneys were gathering details before filing the requests.
No charges had been filed against Swift. In a written statement, President and CEO Sam Rovit said the company has never knowingly hired illegal workers and does not condone the practice.
Immigration officials last month informed Swift that it would remove unauthorized workers on Dec. 4, but Swift asked a federal judge to prevent agents from conducting the raid, arguing it would cause "substantial and irreparable injury" to its business.
Swift estimated that a raid would remove up to 40 percent of its 13,000 workers. After a closed hearing, a judge on Thursday rejected Swift's request, clearing the way for the raids.
The six Swift plants targeted Tuesday represents all of the company's domestic beef processing capacity and 77 percent of its pork processing capacity. Greeley-based Swift describes itself as the world's second-largest meat processor with sales of about $9 billion.
Swift uses a government pilot program to confirm whether Social Security numbers are valid. Company officials have raised questions about the program's ability to detect when two people are using the same number.
Advocates of stricter immigration control praised the raids, pointing out they targeted people suspected of committing other crimes in addition to entering the nation illegally.
"I'm glad that ICE is enforcing our immigration laws in light of the illegal immigration crisis we face across the country," Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said in a statement.
Others criticized the effect on families or called the raids heavy-handed.
"They are taking mothers and fathers and we're really concerned about the children," said the Rev. Clarence Sandoval of St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church in Logan, Utah. "I'm getting calls from mothers saying they don't know where their husband was taken," he said.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department pledged to ensure that any Mexicans caught up in Tuesday's raid have "their human rights fully respected, and are given all the necessary assistance, orientation and consular protection."
Immigration agents have also staged immigration raids at poultry plants in the South. In July 2005, nearly 120 people were arrested at an Arkadelphia, Ark., facility. Three months ago, agents raided a poultry plant in Stillmore, Ga., arresting a similar number who worked there or lived in surrounding counties.
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40 percent of it's 13,000 workers. But I thought they checked all
their workers to be sure they are in country legally. How do they
know that 40 percent will be affected?
for ICE and a big
for Swift Company!
I love this - "we don't knowingly hire illegals and we don't condone the practice." And then later - "about 40% of our workforce will be removed."
The first quote is for the lawyers and media - the second quote is the reality of the company "policies".
Just talked to a buddy of mine that is an ICE agent in Denver. He was involved in the raid. They got 240 of the plants 1200 employees. He said that everyone was pretty much cooperative aside from the few that tried to hide around the plant. A SWAT team from Miami had to be flown in to control the media and the protestors, he said there were quite a few protestors, mainly family members because the raid was leaked to the media the day before and they knew what was going to happen (why the illegals went to work is unclear to me).
The Texas plant lost over 600 illegals to the raid.
Anyone care to place an over/under on how long it takes the government to subsidize the welfare for the children of the illegals being deported? This will end up costing as much as the entire raid.
Or better, call off these raids, since the dimm-o-craps are in charge now. I would
guess that ICE phones are ringing off the hook. It has happened in the past, yeah,
even the Republicans are calling them, on the quite. The dimm-o-craps will call
a news conference.
How much do you guys want to pay for bologna and vienna sausages anyway?
Oh, I don't know. I pay pretty good price now for bologna. Of course I
like Boar's Head and it is kinda pricey. But at least HEB finally started
carrying it.
The Wets keeping prices down is all a crock anyhow. Look at the price
of produce now days. Especially tomatoes.
keeping prices down is all a crock anyhow.
^^Gee. you are easily amused.
Ignorance is funny.
Got to love it. If you disagree just call them ignorant, dumb, biggoted or whatever.
Then you got it covered.
Well, "The Wets" phrase proves you're a bigot, so you covered that yourself.
Thanks for your help.
^^Common accept term. Used commonly along the border and elsewhere. They
do wade the river in Texas or swim. Hence the term . It has no negative
connotation, other than a person who is "illegal.
By bigots.Used commonly along the border and elsewhere.
I thought Carroll O'Conner was dead?
That is what you get for thinking. You want to be careful, you will injure
yourself......
Yeah, but thankfully we still have Michael Richards.
Now you have it covered. Go back to work.
Yea, they like it when you call them that.
Why is that? If he applies the term to people who cross the Rio Grande illegally, it's a fair characterization.
If he applies it to all Mexican immigrants, you have a point.
In the context of this thread, I believe the term " " is not a racial epithet as much as a statement on their immigration status.
Once again, I think your sensitivity to certain terms makes you the bigot. I don't immediately associate the term " " with all Mexicans just those that illegally cross the border. That you consider it a racial epithet means you do -- or, that you believe those who use it do, which means, yep, you do.
Hey, you don't need to try to justify your bigotry. It's no big deal. Just be who you are.
Oh, and clambake, even though I have you on ignore, I'd like to respond to your ignorant Carroll O'Connor nonsense.
The character of Archie Bunker, brought to life by O'Connor, was a caricature of bigots intended to show the irrationality, and extremism of their prejudice. The entire show was intended to make fun of bigots and it did so masterfully. Carroll O'Connor was anything but a bigot. And, considering "Meathead" what'sis'face is a lunatic lefty these days, I would have thought you'd of gotten the memo on that.
The "I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I" defense is so very Pee Wee Hermanish.
The fact remains, in the context of illegal immigration, people who cross the border from Mexico into Texas have to do so across the Rio Grande and, have, been called s which, has more to do with their method of entering our country than their race.
Someone once told me that border patrol calls them "Tonk's" because that's the sound the flashlight makes when you hit them over the head with one.
I was just hoping that ray was pretending to be Archie Bunker. You bigots sure do stick together.
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