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More than 100 employees at a large poultry processing plant in Butterfield were arrested Tuesday based on allegations they used stolen identities to work in the country illegally.
Armed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rounded up all employees during the morning shift Tuesday at George's Processing Inc. and checked them one by one.
Pete Baird, an ICE special agent from Kansas City, said plant employees are believed to have used stolen identities such as Missouri drivers licenses and Social Security numbers to gain employment at the plant.
"These worksite enforcement actions help reduce the job magnet that encourages aliens to enter the country illegally," Baird said. "This case is particularly troubling due to the existence of Social Security and identity fraud in addition to the numerous immigration-related violations."
He said no charges have been filed against the company but emphasized that the investigation will continue.
Authorities also were searching for vendors who may have sold the stolen IDs.
Most of the suspects were believed to be from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. They are being questioned in Springfield and then will be shipped to county jails in St. Louis, Kansas City and Wichita.
They are expected to have hearings before a federal immigration judge.
If they are charged and convicted of using false identities, the employees could serve jail time before being deported, Baird said.
Family members of those who were arrested in Tuesday's search can call ICE's toll-free family hotline for more information about the detention and removal process. That number is 866-341-3858.
During an afternoon press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Springfield, Baird described how agents conducted the operation.
"We do have weapons in an operation like this," he said. "Officer safety is first. All of the employees were moved to a central place and processed one by one."
Asked whether the interviewing included white employees as well as Hispanic-looking ones, Baird said all employees were questioned.
"No violence was reported to me," he said. "But numerous people made it difficult for us to find them."
The poultry processing plant, located between Monett and Cassville in Barry County, has several hundred employees. It is one of several poultry plants owned by the company, headquartered in Springdale, Ark.
Company officials Tuesday didn't return calls for comment.
ICE spokesman Tim Counts said Tuesday's raid disrupted the plant's workday. He added that legal employees who missed several hours of work while being questioned would not be compensated by ICE for their lost pay.
He said employees would have to take up any pay issues with the company. Any employees who are released after additional questioning in Springfield would be driven back to the plant, he added.
Suspects will receive a medical screening from the U.S. Public Health Service and be questioned about the care of their children, who may be U.S. citizens.
Each suspect also was given a flier in English and Spanish with contact information for the Barry County Division of Family Services, which may assist them with child care issues.
The plant is the largest employer in the Butterfield area, according to city clerk Georgia Wenell.
While preparing a disaster management plan recently, she called the plant for details about its work force.
"They said they had 1,000 employees there," Wenell said.
About 100 government employees participated in Tuesday's investigation, including ICE and Social Security Administration Office agents, and members of the Missouri Highway Patrol, U.S. Marshal's Service's Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
An ICE news release says, "The aliens were encountered when ICE and SSA-OIG agents executed two federal criminal search warrants."
Armed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rounded up all employees during the morning shift Tuesday at George's Processing Inc. and checked them one by one.
Pete Baird, an ICE special agent from Kansas City, said plant employees are believed to have used stolen identities such as Missouri drivers licenses and Social Security numbers to gain employment at the plant.
"These worksite enforcement actions help reduce the job magnet that encourages aliens to enter the country illegally," Baird said. "This case is particularly troubling due to the existence of Social Security and identity fraud in addition to the numerous immigration-related violations."
He said no charges have been filed against the company but emphasized that the investigation will continue.
Authorities also were searching for vendors who may have sold the stolen IDs.
Most of the suspects were believed to be from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. They are being questioned in Springfield and then will be shipped to county jails in St. Louis, Kansas City and Wichita.
They are expected to have hearings before a federal immigration judge.
If they are charged and convicted of using false identities, the employees could serve jail time before being deported, Baird said.
Family members of those who were arrested in Tuesday's search can call ICE's toll-free family hotline for more information about the detention and removal process. That number is 866-341-3858.
During an afternoon press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Springfield, Baird described how agents conducted the operation.
"We do have weapons in an operation like this," he said. "Officer safety is first. All of the employees were moved to a central place and processed one by one."
Asked whether the interviewing included white employees as well as Hispanic-looking ones, Baird said all employees were questioned.
"No violence was reported to me," he said. "But numerous people made it difficult for us to find them."
The poultry processing plant, located between Monett and Cassville in Barry County, has several hundred employees. It is one of several poultry plants owned by the company, headquartered in Springdale, Ark.
Company officials Tuesday didn't return calls for comment.
ICE spokesman Tim Counts said Tuesday's raid disrupted the plant's workday. He added that legal employees who missed several hours of work while being questioned would not be compensated by ICE for their lost pay.
He said employees would have to take up any pay issues with the company. Any employees who are released after additional questioning in Springfield would be driven back to the plant, he added.
Suspects will receive a medical screening from the U.S. Public Health Service and be questioned about the care of their children, who may be U.S. citizens.
Each suspect also was given a flier in English and Spanish with contact information for the Barry County Division of Family Services, which may assist them with child care issues.
The plant is the largest employer in the Butterfield area, according to city clerk Georgia Wenell.
While preparing a disaster management plan recently, she called the plant for details about its work force.
"They said they had 1,000 employees there," Wenell said.
About 100 government employees participated in Tuesday's investigation, including ICE and Social Security Administration Office agents, and members of the Missouri Highway Patrol, U.S. Marshal's Service's Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
An ICE news release says, "The aliens were encountered when ICE and SSA-OIG agents executed two federal criminal search warrants."
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