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ICE agents hit 6 Swift plants
Greeley Tribune News ^ | 12/12/2006 | Staff Reports

Posted on 12/12/2006 9:12:29 AM PST by VxH

Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents raided six Swift & Co. plants this morning with civil search warrants, arresting illegal immigrants working at the plants.

Barbara Gonzalez, an ICE public affairs officer, said they don’t have any numbers on how many people will be taken out of any of the plants and probably won’t have that number until Wednesday. She said Swift is not facing any charges right now, but the investigation is continuing.

“At this point, a civil search warrant allows us to search the premises to find any illegal aliens. The strong point here is that a lot of U.S. citizens and U.S. residents have been victimized ... by a large scale identify theft scheme,” Gonzalez said.

Agents entered the beef plant through a west door of the beef plant carrying up to 100 handcuffs on a chain at about 7:30 a.m.

Gonzalez said other plants entered included beef plants in Grand Island, Neb., Cactus, Texas and Hyrum, Utah, and pork plants in Marshalltown, Iowa and Worthington, Minn.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: aliens; fraud; ice; identifytheft; illegalaliens; immigrantlist; immigration; invasionusa; taxcheats
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It's nice that they've rounded up the slave laborers.

When will the CEO of Swift be in jail?

1 posted on 12/12/2006 9:12:30 AM PST by VxH
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To: VxH

It's nice to see ICE doing their job, for once!


2 posted on 12/12/2006 9:13:44 AM PST by FourtySeven (47)
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To: VxH
They aren't really slave laborers -- but if they are or not, either way swift deportation will 'emancipate' them.

Meanwhile, the execs who hired the illegals should be taken out in handcuffs.
3 posted on 12/12/2006 9:14:48 AM PST by BenLurkin ("The entire remedy is with the people." - W. H. Harrison)
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To: FourtySeven

one out of a million..but its a start..Here in greely Colorado...they will take half of them away I bet...but on the other hand ..they will only take the ones away with an outstanding warrant I bet...

it will destroy this company as it should..of course they said they didn't know....yeah right....this is Great


4 posted on 12/12/2006 9:15:47 AM PST by Youngman442002
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To: Youngman442002
Nope...check this out on the Greeley Tribune website:

Link

The crowd gathering at the Swift & Co. beef packing plant in north Greeley is apparently going to try and block buses and vans leaving the plant with employees picked up by Immigration and Custom Enforcement officials this morning.

The crowd is moving to the north exit of the plant on the east side of 8th Avenue in an attempt to prevent the buses and vans from moving.

Grabbing the popcorn to watch the show!

5 posted on 12/12/2006 9:18:35 AM PST by NorCoGOP (Visit my blog! http://shawnsblogroom.blogspot.com)
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To: BenLurkin
Meanwhile, the execs who hired the illegals should be taken out in handcuffs.

Don't count on it. They are all loyal GOP contributors I am sure.

6 posted on 12/12/2006 9:19:00 AM PST by montag813
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To: BenLurkin; All
Meanwhile, the execs who hired the illegals should be taken out in handcuffs.

You are so right, Ben. The aliens wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. The workers shouldn't be the only ones paying the price.

Check out Bar S meats, they've been using the verification system for years to avoid hiring illegals.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44726

"I have an answer back within a minute," Martin Thompson, vice president for human resources at Bar-S Foods Co., a Phoenix-based meat-processing firm told the Arizona Republic. The company has been able to participate in the program since 1998 because some of its 1,500 employees are in California and Texas."

"Less than 8 percent of the time we will find someone where the computer kicks them back," says Thompson. That's a reduction from the 30 percent Bar-S was seeing in 1998 when it first started the program.

But if others decide to join Bar-S, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services may not be ready. On its website, the agency warns: "If significantly more employers than anticipated choose to participate in the Basic Pilot Program, USCIS may have to limit the number of participants." (snip)

7 posted on 12/12/2006 9:20:56 AM PST by WatchingInAmazement ("Nothing is more expensive than cheap labor," prof. Vernon Briggs, labor economist Cornell Un.)
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To: Youngman442002
Mmmmm....now come the counter-accusations...this is all done because today is a holy day....

Link

8:55 a.m. update: Families and friends are starting to gather near the Swift & Co. plants in northeast Greeley as immigration officials conduct a raid.

In a brief discussion outside the plant this morning, two women wanted answers from a Swift public affairs officer.

Lupe Papia's mother, a 19-year employee at Greeley's meatpacking plant, took today off in honor of the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe — a day to that commemorates Our Lady of Guadalupe's supposed appearance to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City in the 1500s.

She went to mass at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church early this morning, but soon after the service, she heard that federal immigration agents were at Swift & Co.'s plant.

Immediately, Papia and her mother headed over to the plant and started trying to reach co-workers inside the plant, but they couldn't get a hold of anyone. Papia wanted to know why immigration officials would choose a holy day for the raid. She told the public affairs officer, Barbara Gonzalez, that she was offended by that.

Papia also said the plant workers were just trying to work.

8 posted on 12/12/2006 9:21:41 AM PST by NorCoGOP (Visit my blog! http://shawnsblogroom.blogspot.com)
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To: VxH

Why do they have to use the excuse of "Identity Theft" to justify this raid? How about the fact that they are illegal.

Swift has already released a statement that they have done nothing wrong.


9 posted on 12/12/2006 9:22:12 AM PST by ican'tbelieveit (Join FreeRepublic's Folding@Home team (Team# 36120), KW:Folding)
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To: VxH
It's nice that they've rounded up the slave laborers - they are paid wages and free to leave their job anytime; my wifes grandfather was a slave laborer for the Nazis on a farm, he was not paid wages or allowed to see his children for 4 years, there is a difference.
10 posted on 12/12/2006 9:23:20 AM PST by SF Republican
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To: VxH
Agents entered the beef plant through a west door of the beef plant carrying up to 100 handcuffs on a chain at about 7:30 a.m.

Sounds heavy. 500 plastic cable ties bound with a rubber band would be more convenient to carry.

11 posted on 12/12/2006 9:23:32 AM PST by Physicist
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To: VxH

Actually, both the CEO and the illegals could make a good salami, since it is a meat-processing facility anyway. CEO - a premium kind, with wine, at something like $10+ a pound. the rest of the bunch would not rate more than $7 a pound, though.


12 posted on 12/12/2006 9:23:46 AM PST by GSlob
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To: NorCoGOP
...in an attempt to prevent the buses and vans from moving.

They should be arrested for obstruction of justice.

13 posted on 12/12/2006 9:23:57 AM PST by Just A Nobody (I - LOVE - my attitude problem! NEVER AGAIN...Support our Troops! Beware the ENEMEDIA)
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To: NorCoGOP

I'm Catholic and I don't remember this being a holy day. I would think breaking the law on a "holy day" would be even worse than just breaking the law on a normal day.


14 posted on 12/12/2006 9:24:44 AM PST by perez24 (Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap.)
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To: VxH
Here is more, fresh from the Greeley Tribune website, for some specifics on today's raid:

Link

10:16 a.m. update: A look at the documents.

The Greeley Tribune is reviewing the affidavits of 25 arrest warrants filed Monday afternoon at Weld District Court in connection with an United States Immigration Customs Enforcement raid on Swift & Co. plants in Greeley and other locations. We will post updates of the affidavits in groups of five at a time. These posts will contain excerpts and summaries of some of the affidavits. Here is the first group:

• 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.

15 posted on 12/12/2006 9:25:28 AM PST by NorCoGOP (Visit my blog! http://shawnsblogroom.blogspot.com)
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To: VxH

Here's a picture from USDA establishment 3W in Worthington, MN.
16 posted on 12/12/2006 9:28:53 AM PST by struwwelpeter
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To: ican'tbelieveit

They have to bring up the identity theft because all of these illegal workers claimed to have a social security or tax ID, wink wink, and the employers say good, that's what we needed, wink wink. The illegals either make up a number or steal someone's number. It should be easy enough to verify if a SSN or tax ID is genuine but the employers really don't want to look that hard as long as they are not getting in any trouble.


17 posted on 12/12/2006 9:31:44 AM PST by Sender ("Always tell the truth; then you don't have to remember anything." -Mark Twain)
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To: VxH
Greeley Tribune's website is now timing out!

www.greeleytribune.com check there for more updates, if they can get the website to stay up!

18 posted on 12/12/2006 9:35:46 AM PST by NorCoGOP (Visit my blog! http://shawnsblogroom.blogspot.com)
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To: VxH

I didn't read anywhere that the illegals were being shipped south of the border.


19 posted on 12/12/2006 9:38:24 AM PST by Dixie Yooper (Ephesians 6:11)
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To: Dixie Yooper

Mebbe they're being `processed'.


20 posted on 12/12/2006 9:40:42 AM PST by tumblindice (Get ready for a long spell in the minority)
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