Federal immigration raid at Omaha meat production plant sparks annoyance from corporate management

[essentialsaltes]

Chad Hartmann, president of the food packaging company, said the front office was stunned by the aggressive nature of federal officials’ raid and confused by why the company was targeted.

“My biggest issue is: why us?” Hartmann said. “We do everything by the book.”

The plant uses E-Verify, the federal database used to check the immigration status of employees. When he said as much to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who carried out the raid, they told him the E-Verify system “is broken.”

“I mean, what am I supposed to do with that?” Hartmann said. “This is your system, run by the government. And you’re raiding me because your system is broken?”

CEO and owner Gary Rohwer told WOWT in Omaha he wasn’t made aware of the operation ahead of time. He said federal agents entered the plant with a list of 97 people they wanted to screen.

About 70 people were taken away in buses with the windows blacked out, Favila said.

Meatpacking plants rely heavily on immigrant workers who are willing to do the physically demanding work. The industry has not yet been the focus of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, but the administration has been intensifying its efforts in recent weeks.

 

[BCP1928]

Chad Hartmann, president of the food packaging company, said the front office was stunned by the aggressive nature of federal officials’ raid and confused by why the company was targeted.

“My biggest issue is: why us?” Hartmann said. “We do everything by the book.”

The plant uses E-Verify, the federal database used to check the immigration status of employees. When he said as much to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who carried out the raid, they told him the E-Verify system “is broken.”

“I mean, what am I supposed to do with that?” Hartmann said. “This is your system, run by the government. And you’re raiding me because your system is broken?”

CEO and owner Gary Rohwer told WOWT in Omaha he wasn’t made aware of the operation ahead of time. He said federal agents entered the plant with a list of 97 people they wanted to screen.

About 70 people were taken away in buses with the windows blacked out, Favila said.

Meatpacking plants rely heavily on immigrant workers who are willing to do the physically demanding work. The industry has not yet been the focus of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, but the administration has been intensifying its efforts in recent weeks.

Looks like Chad didn't give enough money to the Trump campaign.

 

[bèlla]

The videos were broadcasted a few years ago on the internet of illegals working in meat plants. What did they expect to occur? If you’re going to break the law don’t record what you’re doing. That’s crime 101 and isn‘t rocket science.

~bella

 

[The IbanezerScrooge]

The videos were broadcasted a few years ago on the internet of illegals working in meat plants. What did they expect to occur? If you’re going to break the law don’t record what you’re doing. That’s crime 101 and isn‘t rocket science.

~bella

Did the "illegals" in the video each have a little bubble above their heads labelling them as such or are videos of brown people working just inherently videos of "illegals"?

I mean do you see the CEOs argument here? They say they are using a government system to check their employees status and they use that to hire immigrant workers who that system has told them are, in fact, legal. Then ICE comes in and says, "nah" and takes away 80% percent of their work-force saying that system is broken. How is the CEO supposed to navigate that?

Given all the "administrative mistakes" that have happened with these kidnappings, are we really even sure that any of the 70 people taken away were in fact illegal? How would we know? Just trust ICE and the 34 time convicted felon in the white house?

This is all absurd.

 

[BCP1928]

The videos were broadcasted a few years ago on the internet of illegals working in meat plants. What did they expect to occur? If you’re going to break the law don’t record what you’re doing. That’s crime 101 and isn‘t rocket science.

~bella

It has been and is still a problem, but companies in the Trump camp can get away with it. This company was using e-verify and complying with the law as they understood it.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

We are having that mini-drama locally and it's playing out on Facebook.

It's fair season and people are showing up to these long-standing fairs... I'm talking 100 year old and older fairs... That happen on the same weekend every week, are advertised (and were advertised this year)... And they're finding out there's just agricultural shows and animal pulls. They're taking to Facebook enraged, "why would you advertise the fair if you weren't going to have it? There's no food, no rides, no shops, no games..." lots of chatter about false advertising, poor children who's lives were ruined, family weekends destroyed, the whole nine yards.

Finally, the organizer of two of these fairs wanders onto FB and drops the bomb... The fair company they use for the rides, games, shops, and food? They use immigrants and literally nobody wants to come to work because they know there are raids, and where there aren't raids, there are people at certain locations who will definitely call to rat out the brown workers operating the carnivals. They claim they're mostly on work visas, but a ton are independent contractors... Which means they have "unconfirmed" immigration status. But even the people on visas don't want to work because they're afraid of leading ICE back to others. So, with less than a week's notice, they found out they can't use the fair company they've always used and every other carnie company that services our area is contending with the same issue.

The Ls that I OLed were numerous as I watched in real time the narrative shift from "illegals are breaking the law and should be deported, those nasty criminals" to the abject wailing of "~bUt WhAt aBoUt My DiPpIn DoTssssssssssssssssssssssssssss~" from the entitled people who are now finally seeing the impacts of their policies.

 

[Sif]

Did the "illegals" in the video each have a little bubble above their heads labelling them as such or are videos of brown people working just inherently videos of "illegals"?

I mean do you see the CEOs argument here? They say they are using a government system to check their employees status and they use that to hire immigrant workers who that system has told them are, in fact, legal. Then ICE comes in and says, "nah" and takes away 80% percent of their work-force saying that system is broken. How is the CEO supposed to navigate that?

Given all the "administrative mistakes" that have happened with these kidnappings, are we really even sure that any of the 70 people taken away were in fact illegal? How would we know? Just trust ICE and the 34 time convicted felon in the white house?

This is all absurd.

Well ICE has a 3,000 arrests a day quota. They're just putting in that effort. Real go-getters.

 

[durangodawood]

We are having that mini-drama locally and it's playing out on Facebook.

It's fair season and people are showing up to these long-standing fairs... I'm talking 100 year old and older fairs... That happen on the same weekend every week, are advertised (and were advertised this year)... And they're finding out there's just agricultural shows and animal pulls. They're taking to Facebook enraged, "why would you advertise the fair if you weren't going to have it? There's no food, no rides, no shops, no games..." lots of chatter about false advertising, poor children who's lives were ruined, family weekends destroyed, the whole nine yards.

Finally, the organizer of two of these fairs wanders onto FB and drops the bomb... The fair company they use for the rides, games, shops, and food? They use immigrants and literally nobody wants to come to work because they know there are raids, and where there aren't raids, there are people at certain locations who will definitely call to rat out the brown workers operating the carnivals. They claim they're mostly on work visas, but a ton are independent contractors... Which means they have "unconfirmed" immigration status. But even the people on visas don't want to work because they're afraid of leading ICE back to others. So, with less than a week's notice, they found out they can't use the fair company they've always used and every other carnie company that services our area is contending with the same issue.

The Ls that I OLed were numerous as I watched in real time the narrative shift from "illegals are breaking the law and should be deported, those nasty criminals" to the abject wailing of "~bUt WhAt aBoUt My DiPpIn DoTssssssssssssssssssssssssssss~" from the entitled people who are now finally seeing the impacts of their policies.

First off, youd think people would have been thankful there's folks who will do these monotonous or physically grueling jobs.

Second, the ag shows with amazing vegetables and bunnies and sheep and so on are by far the best part of the fair anyway. That and the pie making and cake decorating competitions.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

First off, youd think people would have been thankful there's folks who will do these monotonous or physically grueling jobs.

Well they're not glad they're not doing them now. They were ok with trampling peoples rights and calling them criminals for being here, but when they found out that's who ran the tilt-a-whirl and now they're gone... They don't understand why.

I, however, am not the least bit surprised that people of fluid immigration status did those jobs. Who wants to travel 8 months a year, have no permanent residence, all for long hours, minimum wage, and no benefits?

Second, the ag shows with amazing vegetables and bunnies and sheep and so on are by far the best part of the fair anyway. That and the pie making and cake decorating competitions.

For me as well, but for the people not there for the educational stuff, the loss of the games (and the revelation of who was running them) was a heck of a blow.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

The problem is that the E-verify system is just cross checking the information provided against some government databases, but doesn't really have much of anything in way of identity fraud detection.

Stories like this one explain how packing plants like this one end up in a situation of doing everything by the book, but still ending up with dozens of undocumented people on their roster:

E-Verify Creates Loophole for Undocumented Workers, Employers

E-Verify ensures workers have proper documentation, but undocumented workers have been using stolen identities as a way to pass through the system. It’s unclear whether the worker or employer is exploiting the loophole.

www.governing.com

"I came here to work and support my family," said Jesus, who was given a pseudonym because he feared retaliation. "My brother and another family member were already working at Quality Sausage, and they said they could get me in so I decided to come."

Jesus, 24, used the name and Social Security number of Adrian Gonzalez, 28, of Fort Worth, for five years to work at the plant. The Star-Telegram found Gonzalez, who said he had no idea that his personal information had been used by Jesus. "I've been fired from jobs and have been accused of crimes I didn't commit because my identity was stolen," Gonzalez said. "I don't know what to do anymore, I think I might need to change my name."

And if you read further, it's a "one person's word against another" with regards to whether or not it was a shady staffing agency providing the fraudulent identities, or if that was just something the person in question was saying as a CYA move (and actually got the stolen identity from another source)

And from other sources, it sounds like citizens with Hispanic and Asian names are over 5 times as likely to have their identity stolen by an undocumented worker for the purpose of sneaking past the E-verify system.
(which makes sense because it would throw up some red flags if a clearly Hispanic man is applying for a job with an ID that says their name is Patrick O'Brien -- so naturally they're going to be looking for identities where the name goes with the face)

 

[RileyG]

Thanks for posting!

 

[bèlla]

I mean do you see the CEOs argument here? They say they are using a government system to check their employees status and they use that to hire immigrant workers who that system has told them are, in fact, legal.

I have no sympathy for them. They chose to employ them over Americans and the tide has turned. Is it unfortunate? Perhaps. But that’s the risk you take. And I say that as a pro-American employer. I don’t use foreign workers for cheaper rates. The laborer is worthy of his wages. They’ve allowed greed to guide them.

~bella

 

[Tinker Grey]

They chose to employ them over Americans

No. They employed people who wanted the jobs.

 

[ozso]

No. They employed people who wanted the jobs.

Likely for less money, longer hours without overtime, no worker's rights, and no benefits etc.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Likely for less money, longer hours without overtime, no worker's rights, and no benefits etc.

Don't worry, they won't face any repercussions, as the local Congressman is running interference.

Hartmann, the company president, said he planned to contact Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who represents the district, and other Nebraska leaders to try to get answers. By Tuesday afternoon, Bacon had issued a statement saying the ICE raid sought to investigate stolen identities and that “ICE verified that Glen Valley Foods complied with E-Verify 100% and is a victim in this as well.”

 

[ozso]

Don't worry, they won't face any repercussions, as the local Congressman is running interference.

Hartmann, the company president, said he planned to contact Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who represents the district, and other Nebraska leaders to try to get answers. By Tuesday afternoon, Bacon had issued a statement saying the ICE raid sought to investigate stolen identities and that “ICE verified that Glen Valley Foods complied with E-Verify 100% and is a victim in this as well.”

The overall objection regarding businesses who use illegals is no one else will do the job for less money, longer hours without overtime, no worker's rights, no benefits etc.

As for this situation, it doesn't follow the people being abducted and never heard from again and you'll be next narrative. The situation was expediently resolved.

 

[BCP1928]

The problem is that the E-verify system is just cross checking the information provided against some government databases, but doesn't really have much of anything in way of identity fraud detection.

Stories like this one explain how packing plants like this one end up in a situation of doing everything by the book, but still ending up with dozens of undocumented people on their roster:

E-Verify Creates Loophole for Undocumented Workers, Employers

E-Verify ensures workers have proper documentation, but undocumented workers have been using stolen identities as a way to pass through the system. It’s unclear whether the worker or employer is exploiting the loophole.

www.governing.com

"I came here to work and support my family," said Jesus, who was given a pseudonym because he feared retaliation. "My brother and another family member were already working at Quality Sausage, and they said they could get me in so I decided to come."

Jesus, 24, used the name and Social Security number of Adrian Gonzalez, 28, of Fort Worth, for five years to work at the plant. The Star-Telegram found Gonzalez, who said he had no idea that his personal information had been used by Jesus. "I've been fired from jobs and have been accused of crimes I didn't commit because my identity was stolen," Gonzalez said. "I don't know what to do anymore, I think I might need to change my name."

And if you read further, it's a "one person's word against another" with regards to whether or not it was a shady staffing agency providing the fraudulent identities, or if that was just something the person in question was saying as a CYA move (and actually got the stolen identity from another source)

And from other sources, it sounds like citizens with Hispanic and Asian names are over 5 times as likely to have their identity stolen by an undocumented worker for the purpose of sneaking past the E-verify system.
(which makes sense because it would throw up some red flags if a clearly Hispanic man is applying for a job with an ID that says their name is Patrick O'Brien -- so naturally they're going to be looking for identities where the name goes with the face)

In my experience as an industrial consultant, it was undoubtedly the staffing agency. You can buy those papers anywhere, but they are expensive. Better to let the employer pay for it.

 

[essentialsaltes]

The overall objection regarding businesses who use illegals is no one else will do the job for less money, longer hours without overtime, no worker's rights, no benefits etc.

And what is your response to that objection? Apparently the GOP rep and Trump Administration's response is to absolve the business of wrongdoing.

 

[ozso]

And what is your response to that objection? Apparently the GOP rep and Trump Administration's response is to absolve the business of wrongdoing.

So the administration is assaulting them with tactical gestapo raids and giving them absolution?

 

[essentialsaltes]

So the administration is assaulting them with tactical gestapo raids and giving them absolution?

While the company complained about "the aggressive nature" of the raids, the company faces no legal trouble. They do face the problem that dozens of workers are not going to show up tomorrow.

Back in the Deporter in Chief's day, there was more focus on employers to get them to obey the law.

And the Deporter-in-Chief had a lot of success with his focus on the employer side of the equation.

Renowned for its colourful T-shirts and sweaters, American Apparel proudly states in its advertising that its products are made in downtown Los Angeles. But government inspectors in July found that 1,600 of its 5,600 manufacturing staff did not appear to be legally authorised to work in the US and a further 200 had uncertain status.

American Apparel boss attacks Obama crackdown on immigrant workers​

US fashion retailer forced to sack 1,500 at its California HQ

The White House has made enforcement in the workplace a central part of its strategy to reduce illegal immigration. In April, the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, issued guidelines requiring immigration authorities to concentrate resources on employers who "knowingly hire illegal workers".

Nobody in Los Angeles had to face anything more dangerous than a pink slip. And We The People didn't have to pay to house hundreds of people.