About 300 Suspected Illegal Workers Arrested in Greenville Raid
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Search Warrants Served at Greenville Poultry Plant...
The U.S. Attorney says federal search warrants and enforcement operations were carried out at Columbia Farms Poultry Processing in Greenville
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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Reader Reactions
The problem is not that these people are coming here to work…the problem is that they are doing it illegally. I believe that everyone has a right to work, but there is no reason that people can’t do it the correct legal way. I blame these companies even more for hiring these people illegally simply because they know that it is “cheap labor”. These immigrants need to understand that they are being taken advantage of by these companies, and should go through the legal processes to become legal. I also work in a hospital system, and yes I come in contact with these people everyday. They have always been very considerate for everything. I feel though that they should have to pay for their medical bills and health care just as I do. This also goes for these people who are indeed considered Americans that are just too LAZY to get a job and work for a living, and we the taxpayers keep them up. I am all for there being a limit to the amount of money you are given no matter how many kids you have. This is not fair to these kids who are born into these families who are only living off the system. As a human being, I like to see all people do well for themselves. I think everyone has a right to better themselves. I do however think there is no reason that it can’t be done legally, and as for those living off the system….GET A JOB and take care of your kids!!! Your kids don’t deserve that kind of life…they didn’t ask to be brought into it!
THIS COUNTRY IS ALREADY IN A LOT OF ECONOMIC TROUBLE. I find it very disconcerting that you support people who would steal an identity to work and then claim they do it just to work. One of the women quoted in the article IS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN WORKING AT THE SAME PLANT. I guess she must be an anomole? But wait. Her sister works there too. Hmmmmmmm!!!
Here’s the truth in all of this. We have GREEDY AND ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS whose bottom line is to pay as little as possible and used people who come here illegally so that the EMPLOYERS BOTTOM LINE IS TO MAKE AS MUCH PROFIT AS POSSIBLE - THE REST OF AMERICa BE DAMNED!
When the majority of money made by illegals is SENT BACK TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES, the bottom line is that they ADD NOTHING TO THE AMERICAN ECONOMY!
They make $100 and send $50 to Mexico, yet benefit from all the taxpayers supported amenities this country provides, police, fire, education, hospital system, etc. But American taxpayers pay the cost for anything they use. Don’t even get me started on NINJA Loans (No Income, No Job or Assets).
I wonder how many American applied for jobs and were never called back or interviewed. When the last raid took place at Agriprocessor in Pottsville, hundreds turned out the next day applying for jobs. Same thing in Georgia.
Understand one thing. There is a reason the word Chicanos exists.
Even Cesar Chavez was opposed to illegal immigration.
This not America 1908 with an everyone for themselves mentality. There are MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ALL OVER THE GLOBE WHO WOULD COME HERE IF THEY COULD AND WHOSE SOB STORIES ARE JUST AS TELLING.
We cannot be the final destination for everyone.
I HATE WHEN PEOPLE COMMENT ON THINGS THEY HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT..THESE ARE SOME STUPID COMMENTS..FIRST OF ALL EVERYONE NEEDS TO REMEMBER [THESE PEOPLE] ARE PEOPLE…THEY ARE JUST HERE TO WORK AND FEED THERE FAMILY AND GO HOME…NO DRAMA…USA IS ALL ABOUT DRAMA…DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE DIE EVERY DAY TRYING TO COME TO A COUTRY THAT DOES NOT WANT THEM HERE? THEY WILL GO TO WORK EVEN IF YOU PAY THEM $1.00 AND WORK HARD JUST TO FEED THERE FAMILY..YOU WILL NEVER SEE A HISPANIC ON THE STREET WITH A SIGN SAYING I WILL WORK FOR MONEY OR FOOD BECAUSE THEY WILL WORK ANYWHERE AND FOR WHAT EVER JUST TO FEED THERE FAMILY.THEY ARE GOOD PEOPLE AND THEY DO NOT DESERVE THIS…IF ALL THE HISPANICS GET SENT BACK…THIS COUNTRY WILL BE IN ALOT OF TROUBLE.PLANTS WILL HAVE NO ONE WORKING AND AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL GET NO VEGGIES OR FRUIT. UNLESS YOU GO PICK IN THE FILDS YOURSELF..I DONT THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN…THE WORST THING FOR AN AMERICAN TO THINK IS THAT ALL HISPANICS ARE FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY…MOST OF US WERE BORN HERE…MY DAD IS MEXICAN AND MY MOM IS WHITE..I WAS BORN HERE AND SO WAS ALMOST ALL MY FAMILY…SO PLEASE DONT THINK EVERY HISPANIC IS FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE HALF ARE NOT.. THEY ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE..WE ARE HERE TO STAY..THIS IS OUR COUNTRY TOO….!!!
Is it desperation or GREED? One point I always make is this: if Illegals are willing to work for less, How do they LIVE FOR LESS?
Again to you sympathesizers. If 6 families have to occupy one three bedroom house in order to work for less while living paying the same prices you and I pay, do you want that next door to your home?????
This country is heavily in debt and now we are suppose to take on millions of peasants because they want to work? But the country they are coming from need work. All the money sent back to those home countries should be taxed at 30% and when they file income taxes, then they can get their taxes back if the return proves they should.
We are foolish to believe that all those who come here are just trying to work. We have millions of criminals who are here as well.
Just Google “violence in Mexico Border towns” and see the carnage. Illegal immigration is a crime and many are making good money off of it. How can someone pay a coyote $5,000 to come here yet tell us they were desperate.
THINK AMERICA. IT MAKES NO SENSE!
it’s sad all this is happening on both sides. it’s very wrong to steal ID’s and SS numbers, but these people also must be very desperate to do this to earn money, and to always live in fear of getting caught for them and their familys. but, it is very wrong to do that and they should be punished to the extent of the law. Bad things is, if they stay in jail here, the tax is paid by the hard working people here in this country, if you send them back, they will find a way to get back in and do this all over again. Don’t forget their are also smugglers that get paid for bringing them in either by the people themselfs or corp’s, to get them for cheap labor. Sometimes farmers for the same reason. It’s a huge problem all around. Also i will have to say, they do alot of work no one else wants to do. many have been raised on this, “i want my kids to have it better than i did” So things were made easyier, when i was a kid, there wasn’t really any hard work and also because of the laws kids could not work till a certain age. but the work that was around for kids in my day was tossing a newspaper at someones house. I lived in a small city up north. We had some small farms in the area, but the familys worked them with only a little help if needed. but my point in this is, kids don’t know what real hard work is to make a dollar. kids are pampered, put in front of the TV’s, computers, video games, there is even hardly a place for them to go out and play anymore. there is 2 things they can do, they can either put up that dam wall and guard it 24-7 or make it easier for them to become a citizen or get work visa’s. but then again this will all cost money and of corse it will come from the tax payers either way, just have to see which way it will be the cheapest. it’s a bad thing all around.
Yeah I’ve seen companies looking for Bilingual workers only.. Talk about Racist! This is America! Speak the Language or GO HOME!
I have had the chance to work with many immigrants wheather there illegal or not is none of my business however the majority of them are hard working loving people it’s sad that this world has come to so much hate and some of teh hateful things people say i’d like to no when this started becoming our country and stopped becoming gods i deal with many different races on an everyday basis because i work in a hospital some people should learn to find love in tehre hearts
I think that the people caught that is not legal should be sent back to where they came from. The people of this company needs to be fined. Illegals can come into this country and get food stamps free medical that many senior citizens of this country cannot get which they deserve. We dont own these illegals anything.
First off, illegals are NOT 100% OF ANY JOB MARKET, therefore AMERICANS ARE DOING THOSE JOBS as well.
It is very disheartening to always hear those who use the standard defense for illegals about “they jut want to work” and “they’re doing the job Americans won’t”.
Just once for you folks who are so sympathetic to their cause, can you put yourself in the shoes of a person whose SSN and ID have been stolen by those people. Do you know what an American has to go thru who lives in California and finds someone in South Carolina has used their ID to work. The IRS assumes you to be guilty and you have to prove your innocence.
If any of you google Michelle Malkin, she wrote how many banks gave illegals loans. NINJA (NO INCOME, NO JOB OR ASSETS) Loans. So you as an American work all your life, buy your dream home and then the neighborhoods becomes 50% illegals. Then when a raid like this happens, do you want to be in a neighborhood where 50% of the houses go vacant because they are deported??????
Illegal immigration is a systematic attempt to undermine this country. Can any of you imagine what your tax bills will be like if 300 illegal children suddenly enrolled in your school system and demanded bi-lingual education and teachers. All you defenders of their rights might soon be out of a job as they demand bi-lingual this or that.
Look inside yourselves. I’ll be praying for all of you.
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