Federal agents arrested more than 300 workers from
AgriProcessors kosher meat plant in Postville,
Iowa, after an immigration raid. 40
of them were released for “humanitarian reasons.” The workers who were arrested
were suspected of being in the United
States illegally or of having participated
in identity theft and the fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, the New
York Times reported.
Those arrested will be interviewed by ICE agents and public
health officers to find out if they have health, caregiver or humanitarian
concerns, according to a release from the U.S. Justice Department. They will
face criminal and civil charges, including identity theft, improper use of
Social Security data and other crimes.
The raid of the Agriprocessors plant in northeastern Iowa was the largest in
state history and had been planned for months, said U.S. Attorney Matt
Dummermuth.
An affidavit filed in court before the raid by the Homeland
Security Department cited “the issuance of 697 criminal complaints and arrest
warrants against persons believed to be current employees” and to have acted
criminally, the same source reported.
“This could have a big impact on the supply of kosher meat
in America.
Over the next several days, that’s going to be the big question for people in
the Jewish community who keep kosher,” said Nathaniel Popper, a journalist who
has written about AgriProcessors for The Jewish Daily Forward, in an interview,
as USA Today reported.
The raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. plant came after months
of planning. The plant is the country’s largest producer of meat and it had
1000 to 1200 workers, many of them being from Mexico,
Russia, Ukraine, and
other countries.
|
