About 300 Suspected Illegal Workers Arrested in Greenville Raid

As many as 500 workers were detained - by 450 federal officers - outside Columbia Farms Poultry Processing on Rutherford Road. Around 300 were arrested.

By: Fred Cunningham | News Channel 7
Published: October 07, 2008

After 450 federal agents served search warrants and carried out enforcement operations at a Greenville business, about 300 people were arrested and accused of being illegal immigrants.

It's believed as many as 500 workers are being detained outside Columbia Farms Poultry Processing on Rutherford Road in Greenville. Agents surrounded the plant and started the raid around 8:50am.

According to the Associated Press, A prosecutor says the vast majority of the 825 people who work at the Columbia Farms plant have questionable immigration papers. About 300 people were arrested in today's action.

U.S. Attorney W. Walter Wilkins tells News Channel 7's Kristen Nastasia Tuesday's bust is large for South Carolina, at a level never seen here in the past. Representatives of Immigration and Customs Enforcement from Washington, DC are at the scene. ICE said this was the biggest workforce enforcement raid in the history of South Carolina or North Carolina.

"The majority of them will be administratively processed and deported," said Wilkins this morning. "Those deemed worthy of criminal prosecution, our office will handle. And we will treat them as we would any other criminal case."

Wilkins says Tuesday's bust is the end of a ten month investigation into Columbia Farms employment practices.

This same plant was raided earlier this year by ICE. Seven people have already pleaded guilty to using falsified work documents.

Wilkins and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent in Charge of Investigations Kenneth A. Smith will brief the media this afternoon.

Air 7 video shows hundreds of people outside the plant. We're told this is a mix of workers, agents and some people waiting to be interviewed by ICE.

Relatives of those detained today can call the following number to find out the status of their loved one or express other humanitarian concerns: 866-341-3858.

-- Reporting by Kristen Nastasia

News Channel 7 will update this story tonight starting at 5:00 and here at wspa.com

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