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U.S. NEWS Thursday 9 augusT 2018

Immigration raids in Nebraska, Minnesota target businesses

By MARGERY A. BECK The focus of the operation
Associated Press is unusual in that it targeted
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A business operators for ar-
large federal law enforce- rest. Most immigration raids
ment operation conduct- have targeted workers
ed Wednesday targeted suspected of being in the
businesses in Nebraska and country illegally.
Minnesota that officials say "The whole investigation
knowingly hired — and mis- was initiated, basically, be-
treated — immigrants who cause we knew that these
are in the U.S. illegally. businesses were cheating
The investigative arm of U.S. these workers and cheat-
Immigrations and Customs ing taxpayers and cheat-
Enforcement — Homeland ing their competition,"
Security Investigations — Cormier said.
led the operation that saw The businesses engaged in
about a dozen businesses a scheme that used fraud-
and plants raided and 17 ulent names and Social
business owners and man- Security numbers to em-
agers indicted for fraud, ploy people in the country
wire fraud and money illegally, she said. The busi-
laundering. nesses used "force, fraud,
Of those, 14 were taken coercion, threat of arrest An ICE bus pulls out of a tomato plant in O'Neill, Neb., after an immigration raid at the plant
into custody Wednesday and/or deportation" to ex- Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018.
and three were still being ploit the workers, Cormier Associated Press
sought. Authorities also ar- said. The business that hired
rested more than 130 work- out the immigrants also tion has been carrying out droponic tomato grower Other businesses raided
ers at various businesses, forced the workers to cash high-profile immigration en- O'Neill Ventures, La Herra- were in Stromsburg, Ain-
busing them to Grand Is- their paychecks with that forcement actions against dura restaurant and gro- sworth, Bartlett and Royal,
land, Nebraska, to be ques- business for an exorbitant employers. cery store El Mercadito, all all in Nebraska.
tioned and processed. fee, officials said, and with- Dozens of workers were ar- in O'Neill. A private ranch Civil rights organizations in
Most of the arrests occurred held taxes from workers' rested at a meatpacking outside O'Neill also was Nebraska were quick to
in northern Nebraska and pay without paying those plant in rural Tennessee in searched. denounce Wednesday's
southern Minnesota. Sev- taxes to the government. April, followed by agents No phone number could operation.
eral of the businesses were "It kind of reminds us of the rounding up more than be found for El Mercadito. "The ACLU condemns this
in O'Neill, Nebraska, a town revival of the old 'company 100 employees two months Calls to the other busi- ongoing campaign of mis-
of about 3,000 about 160 store' policy, where it used later at an Ohio gardening nesses went unanswered ery that targets immigrants,
miles (260 kilometers) north- to keep the coal miners in- and landscaping compa- or messages left were not disrupts local businesses
west of Omaha. Officials debted to the company for ny. returned. and separates families,"
said they were still looking all kinds of services ... like Immigration officials have Pork producing giant Chris- Rose Godinez, an attorney
to take three owners or check cashing," she said. also beefed up audits of tensen Farms saw search with the American Civil
managers into custody as Also arrested were 133 companies to verify their warrants served at its head- Liberties Union of Nebras-
part of the operation. workers suspected of be- employees are authorized quarters in Sleepy Eye, Min- ka, said in a written state-
Special agent in charge ing in the country illegally, to work in the country. Of- nesota, its truck wash facil- ment released Wednesday
Tracy Cormier described according to ICE. Some ficials opened 2,282 em- ity in Appleton, Minnesota morning after news reports
the operation as one of the will be issued notices to ap- ployer audits in the first and a producer plant in At- of the raid at O'Neill Ven-
largest in Homeland Secu- pear before an immigra- seven months of this fiscal kinson, Nebraska. Spokes- tures. The effect of such
rity Investigations' 15-year tion judge and released, year, many after audits at woman Amber Portner said operations are the same
history. Between 350 and while those with criminal 100 7-Eleven franchises in the company was cooper- whether they target busi-
400 federal, state and local backgrounds will remain in 17 states in January. ating with agents. She said nesses or immigrants, said
law enforcement officers ICE custody. On Wednesday, investi- she knew of no arrests at Jeff Sheldon, spokesman
worked together on the ar- The raids come as President gators served warrants at any of the company's loca- for advocacy group Ne-
rests, she said. Donald Trump's administra- Elkhorn River Farms, hy- tions Wednesday. braska Appleseed.q