700 ARRESTS POSSIBLE AT AGRIPROCESSORS; LARGEST IMMIGRATION RAID IN HISTORY; DRUGS AND WEAPONS VIOLATIONS ALSO ALLEGED

USA Today and the Des Moines Register are both reports 600 to 700 arrests at the Rubashkin family's Agriprocessors plant in Postville, Iowa.

As of approximately 3 pm CDT, at least 300…

… arrests had been made:

At least 300 people were arrested today at the Agriprocessors, Inc. meat packing plant, federal officials said.

The operation, which targeted people who illegally used other persons Social Security numbers and were in the U.S. illegally, was the largest of its kind in Iowa, said Claude Arnold, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The workers arrested so far were interviewed by agents with the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Public Health Service. Public health officials were included to ensure that their humanitarian needs were being met, said U.S. District Attorney Matt M. Dummermuth.

Authorities have released 40 of the arrested employees “on humanitarian grounds” with supervision, pending further proceedings, Dummermuth said.

A total of 16 local, state and federal agencies, led by ICE, joined the investigation that began last October. Among them was the U.S. Marshals Service, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the U.S.

Department of Agriculture, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, the Waterloo Police Department and the Postville Police Department.

Agents with ICE have received information about immigration violations at the plant over the past two years, according to a federal search warrant made public today. Authorities said they will release more details at another press conference tomorrow morning in Cedar Rapids.

According to search warrants, ICE agents interviewed a former plant supervisor – identified as “Source 1” – in November 2007, who told them that the plant employed foreign nationals from Mexico, Guatemala and Eastern Europe. Roughly 80 percent of those workers were living illegally in the U.S., the supervisor said.

“Source 1” told federal agents that some employees were running a methamphetamine lab in the plant, and were bringing weapons to work. The supervisor confronted a higher-level manager about the drugs, and shortly after was fired.

The supervisors also described an encounter with the plant’s human resources manager about three separate Social Security cards from different employees with the same number. The human resources manager “laughed when this matter was brought to her attention,” the supervisor told federal agents.…

Immigration officials told aides to U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley that they expect 600 to 700 arrests. About 1,000 to 1,050 people work at the plant, according to Iowa Workforce Development.…

Comments

[steve]

Source 1” told federal agents that some employees were running a methamphetamine lab in the plant

Now you know why the animal was jumping so much in the PETA video.

[Zalman Alpert]

Another massive Chilul Hashem. Its about time the OU and other legit rabbis removed their supervision from this plant and let it ride on Weismandel.

[yidandahalf]

The Golem won't be swaggering much now. The rubash-ins are all going down.

[zach]

At least that explains the baggie inside my chicken!

[uncle joe mccarthy]

amazing how many posters on the other "frum" sites are attempting to excuse agriprocessors of breaking the law...not only is hiring illegals against the law, but it is anti-american, in as much as it makes sure to depress the wages of all americans...the rubashkins are traitors to this country

[Kitty Kat]

Better run to your local kosher supermarket and load up on steaks and chicken - I hear the rumblings of the kiddush-mob starting to stampede...

[Anon]

--At least that explains the baggie inside my chicken!--

You could have made a pretty penny selling the baggie.

[Richard Schwartz]

How many wake-up calls do we need before we realize that there is something wrong in the kosher meat industry?

When will we start addressing the fact that the production and consumption of meat and other animal products violate basic Jewish mandates to preserve our health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, help hungry people and avoid a chillul Hashem?

When will we recognize that the raising of over 50 billion animals worldwide for meat, eggs and milk is contributing to global warming, widening water shortages, rapid species extinction and many more environmental threats?

When will we realize that we can reduce the current epidemic of diseases afflicting Jews and others through a switch toward plant-based diets?

Why not apply Jewish values to our diets and the crises that threaten Jews, Israel and, indeed, all of humanity?

And ipe out all of Yorah Deah?

[timp j]

i operate a dairy farm outside of postville and have a hispanic employee that has friends that worker at agri and he told me some stories that would make you quessy if you at food that came from agri

one for instance is that they are told to relabel packages of meat if have been in the freezer to long

[Steve Van Helten]

The raid on Agriprocessors in Postville is the tip of the iceberg. Every town in Iowa that has a packing plant is also a center of methamphetamine distribution. In the area 95% of the meth on the open market is contaiminated with human excrement. Given the quality of workers at most packing plants the safety equipment the workers are wearing is there to protect the meat from the worker. Prior to the unions being busted by Iowa Beef Processors (owned by Armand Hammer)in the late 70's the wages at a packing plant was $20 an hour. Agriprocessors is paying $5 an hour. Tyson in Waterloo starting wage is $9.50 an hour. The convenience stores in the area are advertizing for part time workers and are offering $7.50 an hour. Fast food restaurants are paying $8.50 an hour for part time workers (high school students). Local Iowans view the workers in packing plants as being treated as slaves and the owners as slave owners.