Source: Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 8/31/18


Thirteen people detained in the June raid by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) at the Fresh Mark meat processing plant in Salem, Ohio, have been indicted on immigration-related charges, the U.S. attorney’s office in northern Ohio said Thursday. 
Eleven of those charged are from Guatemala and two are from Mexico, the U.S. attorney said. Each of the 13 are accused of making a false statement of citizenship and using a fake Social Security card and state identification card in the name of another person as part of the application process for employment.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer following investigations by ICE Homeland Security Investigations, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Customs and Border Protection Office of Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, the Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office and the Salem Police Department. The investigation is ongoing.

The June raid at the Fresh Mark facility resulted in the arrest of 146 people. The multi-state Homeland Security operation led to the arrest of 97 people at Southeastern Provision in Tennessee in April. Earlier this month, ICE issued search warrants at about a dozen agribusinesses in Nebraska and Minnesota, including Christensen Farms, one of the nation’s largest pork producers.

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