Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 6/20/18


Special agents from U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) have arrested 146 workers at the Fresh Mark meat processing plant in Salem, Ohio, for alleged immigration violations, the agency said Tuesday.

ICE said it identified the employees as part of a year-long investigation into whether the company hired illegal aliens at its meat processing and packaging plants. Search warrants were served at Fresh Mark locations in Massillon and Canton, Ohio, as well as the Salem plant.

The agency said an unspecified number of those arrested were processed and released for “humanitarian considerations” following Tuesday’s raids. Other detainees were set to be transferred to processing facilities in Michigan and Ohio while awaiting what ICE described in a statement as “removal proceedings.”

A Fresh Mark spokesperson confirmed the ICE action and told Meatingplace that the company was the first in Ohio to partner with the agency in the voluntary ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) program. Participating companies must meet employment verification policies to ensure a lawful workforce, among other IMAGE program standards.
The union representing Fresh Mark employees said the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union will assist the arrested workers and their families as it continues to gather information on the situation, WFMJ-TV reported.

Authorities reportedly charged one worker from Guatemala at the Fresh Mark facility in Salem in February for alleged aggravated identity theft after he used a Social Security card and California identification documents under a different name, according to The Vindicatornewspaper.

“Unlawful employment is one of the key magnets drawing illegal aliens across our borders,” Steve Francis, Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge for Michigan and Ohio, said in the ICE statement. “Businesses who knowingly harbor and hire illegal aliens as a business model must be held accountable for their actions.”

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