Pilgrim’s Pride - Homeland Security Takes 400 Into Custody

April 16, 2008

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Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. (PPC) confirmed the Department of Homeland Security took 400 employees into custody at five processing facilities across the South.

The company said it is working to “prevent or minimize” disruptions in operations at the affected sites.

“According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, these individuals have engaged in immigration-related crimes, including aggravated identity theft, in order to fraudulently obtain employment with the company,” the company said in a statement.

Pilgrim’s Pride said no civil or criminal charges have been filed against the company in any of the cases.

Officials from the Customs Enforcement division took into custody employees at plants in Batesville, Ark.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Live Oak, Fla.; Morefield, W.Va.; and Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

Pilgrim’s Pride said it had terminated all employees who were arrested and would terminate employees found to have engaged in similar misconduct.

The company said the employees taken into custody represent about 4% of the 9, 400 people employed at the facilities.

Source

More from the Dallas Morning News

Federal immigration officials, working with local law enforcement agencies, arrested more than 280 foreign nationals Wednesday at Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plants in five states, including Texas. They are suspected of committing identity theft and other crimes to get their jobs, authorities said.

The arrests were coordinated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The criminal investigation involves administrative charges, as well as criminal charges, ICE officials said in a written statement.

The poultry plants were in Mount Pleasant, Texas; Live Oak, Fla.; Moorefield, West Va.; Batesville, Ark.; and Chattanooga, Tenn.

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