http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/an-immigration-raid-aids-blacks-for-a/n20070117114709990002
...The rest fled Stillmore or went into hiding nearby. Some women and children hid for days in the scrubland and pine woods outside of town without food or shelter while they waited for immigration agents to leave. In the week after the raids, dozens of Latinos crowded a vacant lot beside a bodega, across from Stillmore's city hall, to get on buses operated by a Mexican bus line leaving for other cities in the U.S. or back to Mexico.
For African-Americans, the departure of the Hispanics was a boon. Lisa Shinhoster, 45, and Chris Butler, 22, heard about Crider when an acquaintance of a Crider recruiter walked into an after-hours bar where they were playing cards and announced to the patrons: "Anybody want a job?" The two were soon working at the plant gutting chickens.
For Mr. Royals, the new opportunities at Crider amounted to a windfall after months of erratic work through a temporary labor agency. A high-school dropout who earned his General Equivalency Diploma two years ago, Mr. Royals previously worked nights at a succession of factory jobs. He had just been laid off for the second time in a month when Ms. Paulk came home with word of the Crider recruiter.
Mr. Royals went to Crider with a plan to work as many hours as possible - he sometimes worked 17 hours a day - and earn enough to save for a new home and pay off bills. His wife recently took a full-time job as a private nurse for an elderly woman and attends classes at a technical college to earn a license as a practical nurse.
Mr. Royals rose daily before dawn, often eating a breakfast of grits, eggs and sausage served shortly after 5 a.m. at the Crider cafeteria. Mr. Royals was assigned to the plant's packing department, where his squat burly frame and muscular arms made him a natural fit, lifting crates of processed chicken. He says he enjoyed the physical nature of the work and the quick pace made the hours go by quickly.
But for some of the African-American workers who surged into the plant, the unexpected chance to work at Crider didn't turn out well. They described long, arduous schedules, alleged health and safety hazards, and unrelenting supervisors. A Crider spokeswoman says the allegations are the sentiment of "people who are not intent on working."
On Oct. 10, Barbara Smiley, a gregarious and tall 42-year-old from Mount Vernon, about two hours away, was reaching for a chicken that had fallen off a conveyor belt when she smacked her head into a solid steel pole. She went to the nurse's station for an ice pack and then the bathroom to wash down a pain reliever. She says her supervisor reprimanded her for leaving her post, igniting an argument. Ms. Smiley was fired.
"They cussed at me," Ms. Smiley said after the incident , a lump visible in center of her forehead in the shape of a half-dollar coin. "I'm 42 years old. If you cuss at me, I'm going to cuss you back."
The company spokeswoman said Ms. Smiley suffered a mild injury and quit but couldn't confirm other details of the incident.
Legal Hispanic workers who remained at Crider after the raid complain that the new black production line workers are getting higher pay but don't work as hard as their Latino cohorts did. When the plant operated with majority Latino laborers, says Mr. Sauceda, his six-person assembly line produced 80 pallets of poultry daily, with each pallet holding 48 32-pound boxes of chicken. Now, with 15 workers on the line, most of them black, only 45 pallets a day are completed, he says. "The blacks sit in the cafeteria and don't come to the line until the chickens are brought in, but the Hispanics, we spend the time cleaning and doing things that need to be done," says Mr. Sauceda, who has subsequently left the company. Mr. Royals counters that blacks work just as hard as Latinos. He says he sees groups of Hispanics taking extra rests on overnight shifts. "I'm thinking to myself, man, I don't get that many breaks," he says.
Several African-American workers found themselves in pay disputes. Since the illegal immigrants were run out of the plant, Crider no longer directly employs many entry-level workers. Instead, Mr. Royals and many others are classified as independent contractors, working under an agreement between Crider and Allen Peacock, an African-American owner of a recruiting business. Crider paid Mr. Peacock a set rate for the hours his employees work, and he paid the workers. Using Mr. Peacock allowed Crider to quickly hire workers, since the contractor has provided laborers to the poultry industry for years
Every Friday, Mr. Peacock pulled into the parking lot of the dormitory complex and handed out checks, most of which he cashed on the spot - leaving his employees with no documentation of how much they received in wages or paid in taxes, according to several workers.
After a few weeks on the job, Mr. Royals and other black workers claimed Mr. Peacock was short changing them on hours worked. They said taxes were being deducted even though workers never filled out federal and state tax forms. At one point, Ms. Paulk, Mr. Royals's wife, telephoned Mr. Peacock and demanded an explanation about the paychecks.
Mr. Peacock denied mishandling their wages. "Everybody has to pay taxes," he said in an interview. Mr. Peacock said his workers were all being fully paid and that their taxes were properly collected.
Despite his frustrations, Mr. Royals vowed to keep working. But one morning, Mr. Peacock arrived at the Crider dormitory complex and several workers gathered to register their complaints about wages. In front of the other employees, Mr. Royals says, Mr. Peacock fired him.
Mr. Royals says Mr. Peacock seemed upset that Ms. Paulk had called him on his cellphone on her husband's behalf. "He said I couldn't put my wife in her place," Mr. Royals says. Mr. Peacock didn't respond to subsequent calls seeking comment.
Mr. Royals moved to Augusta, Ga. where he began doing landscaping work.
Since the raids, African-Americans have made up about 65 percent of Crider's work force, while whites are 30 percent and Hispanics 5 percent, according to the company. Turnover has been high. The population of workers hired since last September's immigration raids has turned over three times, according to Crider.
Still struggling to fill its ranks, Crider began busing in felons on probation from a state prison and residents of a homeless mission from nearby Macon. Crider also hired another labor contractor who specializes in Hispanic workers. In recent weeks, dozens of mostly Hispanic workers have appeared at the plant, largely on the overnight sanitation shift. A Hispanic worker at the plant said he recognized some of the new workers as among those who had been dismissed prior to the federal raids for having false immigration documents. A few weeks later, immigration agents returned to Stillmore, and were seen questioning Hispanics at a grocery store.
Crider says it has ended its relationship with the temporary labor provider that rehired some former illegal Crider workers. It says it has also ended its relationship with Mr. Peacock, saying it was a financial decision based on the additional fees they had to pay to the staffing company.
But Crider is still about 300 people short of its work force before the immigration raids. It is now bringing Laotian Hmong immigrant workers and their families from Minnesota and Wisconsin, with hopes that they'll stay on the job and build new roots in Stillmore.
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Comments: 56
We need to respect the cycles of a capitalistic nation. This is what we are and we are successful - beyond imagination, compared to many, many countries in the world.
These influxes are what makes us unique - what puts us on the rebound, financially, even patriotically.
There will always be those who do not understand how the United States operates. Those in places of power will use their limited political strength to affect change. Soon, we will realize the affect of flying in the face of our own reality.
This is a CYCLE. Nothing more. The ONLY reason it is a political bargaining chip is because Reagan compromised on the last amnesty - making any new influx populations "illegal" until "legalized."
I don't think he knew the ramifications...but many of us, who do understand, see them every day.
People scream, "When will it stop?"
I say, "When did it ever stop?" It was quiet, it was the same massive moving machine as it always was...and this influx is smaller than those before it.
The difference is it is politicized - "He who controls immigration policy, controls the future progress of this country."
Is this TRULY what we want for ourselves?
For your viewing pleasure....Coming to a neighborhood near you very soon.....
Send them these wonderful video teasers!
http://kirkbytv.com/Video/Teaser1_15fps.wmv
http://kirkbytv.com/Video/Teaser2_15fps.wmv
http://kirkbytv.com/Video/Teaser3_15fps.wmv
http://kirkbytv.com/Video/BaldwinParkII_320×240.wmv
http://www.saveourstate.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=21229
Where will you take your hatred?
The MAJORITY of LEGAL US citizens have made their opinions/views regarding the illegal invaders very clear. It will not happen!!! They may "pretend" like they are giving them amnesty, but they will make the path so difficult, that they will have no choice but to leave. For example----no criminal backgrounds, must have been employed by the same company for over five years, no use of fraudulent documents/SS numbers, etc. What will that leave, maybe 5000?
Did you hear that Tom Tancredo is running!!!! He will make sure that they illegals get what they deserve---which is to be rounded up and deported!!
Guess you'll have to accuse the Wall Street Journal of "this racist propaganda."
What's the problem? If it isn't what you think it is, it must be propaganda?
Now who should "stick to something you know something about."
LMAO....and I assure you, Bob - knowledge is not a problem.
Prior to the elections---when he wasn't sure what would happen with the illegal invader/amnesty issues and who would remain in office---he would go on CNN and say that NM was in a state of emergency due to the illegal invasion and national guard troops and a fence needed to be placed on the border ASAP. Since the elections---with a lot of those in favor of strong borders replaced or not elected---the state of emergency no longer exists!! He actually went on CNN and said that he no longer feels that a fence and troops are the answer--we must work on immigration reform and a guest worker program.
Richardson vies to be first Hispanic US president
Sunday, January 21, 2007 21:27 IST
"WASHINGTON: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said on Sunday that he is forming a presidential exploratory committee, becoming the latest entrant in a crowded Democratic field and the first Hispanic to vie for the White House.
Born in Pasadena, California, Richardson was raised in Mexico City, but moved to the northeast US state of Massachusetts at age 13 with his Mexican mother and and Boston banker father."
cont'd through link.........
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1075628
What will you do when our government finally decides that our immigration laws are going to be enforced---and anyone caught hiring or renting to an illegal will be fined and/or face prison, illegals (and their anchor children) no longer able to receive social benefits, education, healthcare, etc., unless the parents can prove citizenship--and the roundups and deportations are stepped up? Oh, I forgot......I know what you will be doing----you will be packing----and also helping your illegal friends/family to pack. I hope you are beginning to get boxes---there is probably going to be a shortage!!!
oooohhhhhhh.....Just think of the ramifications....
Let's recap, shall we?
We have a white lady, a black man, and a Hispanic - all candidates for the U.S. Presidency. What does THAT say about the general consensus of this nation? Doesn't bode well for your beloved Tancredo, does it?
My opinion is that he's running to piss Tancredo off - or as a true candidate for the Vice-Presidency....LOL...dang, you must feel reall broken up...
You see from a political perspective, with the Dems best candidates being minorities, the Repubs MUST show diversity - or they will lose .....There goes your wet dream.
Crawl back into your cave, Brenda. Cover your eyes....LMAO....
You---and your illegal family/friends/supporters---will definitely be the ones that end up surprised.
Let me put this into perspective for you........The MAJORITY of LEGAL US citizens do NOT want any form of amnesty, they want our current immigration laws enforced, they want the 14th Amendment revised, and they want our borders closed/secured from further invasion. Tom Tancredo supports----and for years has been supporting---all of these illegal invader issues. This has become one of the major issues in our country---right after Iraq. Therefore, if a candidate does not support Bush's Iraq War plans and is totally against rewarding illegal invaders---guess who the MAJORITY will vote for?
Tancredo is going to bring all of the illegal invader issues to main stream media. US citizens throughout the country will become aware of all negative issues/impacts due to the illegal invasion. Lou Dobbs will also assist him with this agenda. Therefore, the other candidates will have no choice but to also get tough on illegal invaders, or commit political suicide. Most important issues for US citizens----Iraq and then the illegal invasion.
So, I think that you would be wise to get those boxes so that you and your illegal family and friends can get ready for the big move. Also, before you bring it up---nobody is going to try to keep the illegals from their anchor kids. They have the right to take them with them, or leave them here with LEGAL family or friends.
FYI..............
*........Notice the number of people who voted--throughout the country!!
I am sure if they did this poll again today, there would be even more than 93%!!!!!
CNN Quick Vote
August 16, 2006
Do you believe illegal immigrants who have anchor babies in the United States should be immune from deportation?
Yes 7% 1108 votes
No 93% 13831 votes
Total: 14939 votes
http://www.cnn.com/POLLSERVER/results/26768.exclude.html
What on earth are you thinking? We are already in the hot seat as it is - Iran is challenging us, N. Korea's building bombs and freaking China just proved they could knock out a satellite.
Good Grief...talk about tunnel vision.
I copied and pasted! :)
"A report issued in November by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University finds that millions of American workers are being severely harmed by the unprecedented wave of legal and illegal immigration over the past decade or so. In addition to the immediate economic impact on younger and less skilled Americans, the phenomenon will likely have long-term negative consequences for American society. The report was authored by economists Andrew Sum, Paul Harrington and Ishwar Khatiwada.
According to Harrington, the biggest losers in the phenomenon of unchecked immigration are poorer and less educated Americans and other immigrants. "When you bring in large numbers of illegal immigrants, what you do is break down the labor standards and create environments Americans don't want to work in," he stated. The data that he and his colleagues present in the report back up this contention. Since 2000, the number of native-born men in the U.S. labor force has declined by 1.7 million, even though the number of such men of working age increased during this time period. The decline in employment for native-born men coincided with a period of economic expansion, when their services should have been required and should have provided leverage for wage gains. "
Cont'd through link........
http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_jan07nl03
You seem to forget, we will not have to deport them, as they will leave on their own. If cities/states throughout the country continue to pass anti-illegal invader laws similar to those that were passed in Hazleton, Escondido, Payson, Farmer's Branch, etc.---the illegals will have no choice but to leave on their own.
They will not be able to find a job if employers are fined and/or put in prison for hiring them. They will not be able to find a place to live, if landlords are fined for renting to them. They will not be able to apply for any social benefits, education, non-emergency healthcare--unless they can prove citizenship. There will be nothing here for them---no reason to stay and no reason to keep coming. So, you see, we will not have to deport them. Add to that a law that says perhaps.....any illegal caught in the country after August, 2007 will face an automatic one-year in prison---how many do you think will stay?
So, it appears, you are the person with tunnel vision----thinking that these illegal invaders can come into our country demanding/protesting/threatening for rights/benefits that belong to US citizens only!!! They have the right to be treated fairly and humanely until they are deported, that's it!!!
Marianne Davies
"As an American of Hispanic roots, whose parents immigrated here legally over 50 years ago, I felt that the push for amnesty by President Bush and many in the Senate was a slap in the face to all law-abiding naturalized citizens who willingly and eagerly complied with our federal immigration laws to earn the privilege of calling this great nation their new "homeland." I could not sit idly by and watch this unfold.
Then along came Colonel Al Rodriguez! When Col. Rodriguez called and asked me to join him in You Don't Speak for Me!, I was thrilled to realize that there were other American Hispanics who stood with the majority of Americans in opposing illegal immigration and any measures that would reward illegal aliens with citizenship. At YDSFM's first press conference in Washington, D.C., where we were joined by several members of Congress, our voices were heard and well-received and covered by the national media. YDSFM seeks to dispel the myth that American Hispanics support amnesty for illegal aliens.
With more than 5,000 members, YDSFM is now in the process of forming local chapters across the country. We seek to work with other immigration reform groups and state, local and federal government officials to provide support and assistance in implementing policies and measures to address illegal immigration locally. Above all, we seek to send the message to the president and the newly elected officials in Congress that a vote for amnesty in any form will be a vote out of office for those who support it. "
Cont'd through link............
http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_jan07nl04
As I said......Whether or not someone is Democrat or Republican......Tom Tancredo is going to be our thunder in regard to making US citizens aware of the negative impact of the illegal invaders/invasion. More and more LEGAL US citizens will be waking up!!!!
Political Observers Take Tancredo Seriously
"(Jan 18, WASHINGTON, DC) - Important political analysts think that Tom Tancredo's run for the GOP nomination will have a serious impact on the GOP nomination, and that he could potentially win. They also believe the campaign could affect the domestic agenda for the Democratic congress.
Former Bill Clinton advisor and famed political strategist Dick Morris believes "The top four candidates for the Republican nomination can't win...Rudy Giuliani, John McCain . . . Romney with all of the flip-flops on abortion and Newt Gingrich, who I don't think gets into it." Morris listed Tancredo among the canidates he thought could win.
David Yepsen--who is considered an authority on the Iowa caucus-- wrote in the De Moines Register , ""Tancredo could be a serious factor ." Yepsen continued that Tancredo "has the potential to pull the Republican field of candidates to the right, particularly on his signature issue of curbing illegal immigration."
Denver Post columnist Al Knight, thinks that Tancredo will force other canidates to face the problem of illegal immigration:
The fact that Tancredo will be making the political rounds in coming weeks and months will keep the immigration issue very much alive. Other candidates, who might well wish to duck discussions of border security, amnesty and lax enforcement, won't easily be able to dismiss the topic.
Not only will Tancredo impact other Republican candidates, "he could also affect Democratic plans for new immigration legislation."
Cont'd through link........
http://www.teamtancredo.com/news.php
Guys: Face it - this issue will not be resolved here, it will not be resolved this year and it will not be resolved during the next presidency.
Politicians and especially the new President will have much bigger fish to fry...and as long as we have a hold of the situation - it will remain that way. Certain states are unfriendly to illegals - other states are begging for them. That's the way it has always been and will always be.
You can't change reality simply by wishing it ain't so.
And, AGAIN - you know where we are headed - and it ain't mass deportation - it's open land borders.
You know it and I know it.
Nope, it was not me!!! I normally vote Democrat, but I did not support the position of the Democrat candidates regarding the illegal invasion. This is also currently true of many Democrats---you can even say the majority.
Bush's open borders plans were discovered too soon---he can't get away with it now!!! US citizens and congress were not aware, and this is treason. Also, if you notice, many Republicans are now staying away from Bush as if he had some disease (besides a mental disorder). Numerous Republicans----Tom Tancredo, Virgil Goode, Scott King, etc....are being very vocal and resistant regarding Bush's open borders/amnesty plans.
The Republicans are going to be vocal and resistant......The Dems are going to avoid the issue until absolutely necessary----as they both know that it will be political suicide if they side with the illegals, amnesty, and all other illegal invader issues.
The solution.......Let more and more cities/states combat the illegal invader issues in their own way. Get more and more police officers trained and certified and 'legally" able to enforce federal immigration laws. For those who are trying to declare themselves sanctuary cities----Judicial Watch will be breathing down their necks and filing suits.
Friday, January 19, 2007
The Grand Rapids Press
"GRAND RAPIDS -- An 18-year-old Latin Kings gang member and a 30-year-old Chinese native ordered out of the country in 1993 were among the 133 people arrested in Grand Rapids in a five-day federal immigration sweep called "Operation Return to Sender." Fugitive teams from the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, or ICE, division of Homeland Security hit West Michigan last week, looking for immigration status violators and criminal and fugitive aliens, said enforcement spokesman Greg Palmore. Those arrested have had their day in court and were ordered deported by an immigration judge, said Adrian Macias, field office director of the ICE detention and removal office in Detroit. "
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/1169222023292990.xml&coll=6
BOYCOTT BUSH'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS TOMORROW
Please be sure to do this and pass it on!! We can all see the highlight's of retard's speech when they report it on the news.
Billy House
Republic Washington Bureau
Jan. 22, 2007 12:00 AM
"WASHINGTON - President Bush will urge passage of comprehensive immigration reform during his sixth State of the Union address to be delivered Tuesday night.
It will be one of the main themes of the speech.
Boycott STATE OF UNION ADDRESS TOMORROW
Bush has called for changing the nation's immigration laws since he became president in 2001. But some immigrant advocates say the new Democratic-controlled Congress gives the Republican president his best opportunity to push through a plan to both better secure the nation's borders and legalize millions of undocumented workers."
Migration reform to top Bush address
Dem-led Congress raises plan's chances
Billy House
Republic Washington Bureau
Jan. 22, 2007 12:00 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0122stateoftheunion0122.html
can't say I'm suprised though
Glad your back!!!!!
And I suppose that Hispanic workers work harder than African American workers? That is utter bullshit and completely racist. I've worked with people of all races, and no particular race is harder working than another.
I'm with you on one point here. Considering the fact that Crider abused the African American workers, I'd bet that they abused the Hispanics also. I just can't stand for work place abuse, and I do make a stand when I get wind of such a thing. I have also seen plenty of Anglo Americans abused in the work place. It seems to me that a lot of employers nowadays think that they can just push their workers around at will, and it sickens me to my stomach.
I got a call from one of my Mexican friends last night. He told me that his 13 year old son is being worked overtime in a Mexican restaurant, and 2 of his Guatemalan friends are working 14 hours per day in a Thai restaurant and not being paid overtime. Guess who he asked me to call ? ICE . You know why ? Because neither of the restaurant owners are keeping personell files, I-9 forms or anything. Actually this would be a Department of Labor issue, but getting the Kentucky Department of Labor to come down here and do anything is next to impossible.
Again - it's questionable at times, exactly who is in charge in this country. Is it the politicians we elect to make decisions in our best interest or is it the conglomerates who have enough money to make make everyone nervous.
Pharmaceutical companies have come under fire in recent years - as has the FDA for selling us out and killing us a few times with faulty meds. THAT isn't an issue directly related to immigration - in that they don't employ many illegals, with the exception of the cleaning subcontractors....
I see it as a problem - not because of immigration specifically - but because it only stands to reason that there is a balance between what is right and what is easy.
know what I mean?
Next, I think about the fact that they would'nt be illegal had this country done immigration the right way, the first time. That said - we've never actually had a true method of orderly immigration. We've always been wishy-washy. We've always made laws on the fly.
Once again - this nation is built with the blood, sweat, and tears of newcomers. That is simply who we are - it has always been that way and it has always worked to our advantage.
Now, that said, do I wish it was different. Hell yeah! Can I change it? Doubt it. Human beings have a way of living in cycles - breaking the cycle - positive or negative - takes time, diligence and luck. Immigration policies that work will take all of that and more.
Oh, and about people waiting in line to wash dishes? All of the American restaurants in town have American diswashers. I won't say that they are standing in line for those jobs, but those are jobs that Americans ill do. Probably not for 2 or 3 bucks per hour, but they will do those jobs for a decent wage.
LEGAL newcomers......Who came into this country the proper, legal way.
Enforce our immigration laws----Revise the 14th Amendment---Close/secure the border!!
Jackie really wants to answer.........Yes, we should let in all of the illegals from Mexico and all other Latin American countries.
"HISTORY 101: There was no such thing as illegal back then and if it wasn't for that particular word now - you would have nothing to bitch about."
Again, what is it about the words LEGAL versus ILLEGAL that you do not seem to understand???
Timothy: Controlling immigration is like controlling the weather.
The point is, they didn't come over just to sit idly and do nothing - they are still filling posiitions no one else wants. And no, it isn't just because of the minimum wage. It's because we do not HAVE to work those jobs. We are better skilled and educated - we can work a less physical job with better benefits and pay.
Stillmore and Swift are a few examples: This is an experiment to shut the mouths of the conservative right. Think about it.
The hypotheses is that employers don't pay enough and that others prefer welfare to their working conditions.
SO, in answer to those complaints, sits a bill (currently stalled by republicans) to raise minimum wage and ICE is deporting thousands simultaneously.
NOW - the first two examples demonstrate the difference between a happy workforce and one that would rather make less and do less or make more and do less - all of which directly affects these companies.
What happens when McDonald's is targeted? What happens when hotel chains are targeted? What happens when they deport thousands of farm workers?
You see? This is WRONG because it will NOT WORK.
They require education and the power to effect change - both of which they can learn here. If you think they aren't hardened by all of this, you are very misinformed. It can be a horrible, tramautizing experience to get here and to remain in hiding. Think for one second how it must feel.
Now - they despise the govt. of Mexico - they see what we see - they live it. Given some more time, they will find the power, knowledge and strength to return. We are already contributing to the rise of an educated, powerful middle class in MX as well as Hispanic American children who know that their parents' hearts are in MX.
THIS IS how we effect change in Mexico, Timothy. Give it time...
I'm sorry, but the MAJORITY of LEGAL US citizens are not going to let the illegal invaders invade and destroy our country while they are waiting for "time" to become educated and decide to do something in/for their own country. It is NOT going to happen.
FayObserver.com ^ | January 26, 2007 | Jennifer Plotnick
The 21 Smithfield Packing Co. employees arrested by immigration officials while they worked Wednesday are in the process of being deported.
The 20 men and one woman arrested were moved Thursday from the Mecklenburg County Jail to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga., nearly 700 miles from Tar Heel.
Meanwhile, church officials within the region's Hispanic community and spokespeople with the United Food & Commercial Workers union said the workers' families didn't know where they were and other immigrant workers were terrified of more arrests.
Production at the plant was substantially diminished Thursday as workers stayed away.
"There are hundreds of immigrant families who will have to decide, 'Do I show up to work (Friday) and risk being arrested by immigration?'" said Eduardo Pena, a spokesman for the union, which became an unofficial hub of information for workers Thursday, he said.
The workers are going through "removal proceedings," said Marc Raimondi, a spokesman with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Washington.
Because ICE officials arrested the employees on administrative rather than criminal charges, it will not release their names. Raimondi would not elaborate on whether the workers could also be charged criminally or whether other workers could be targeted.
"The investigation continues," he said.
An ICE spokeswoman told The Associated Press that administrative immigration charges can include being in the U.S illegally or overstaying a work visa.
Because much of the cleaning crew didn't show up for work Wednesday night, production was lower and got started late at the plant Thursday, said Dennis Pittman, director of corporate communication for Smithfield.
"We were so far behind because of getting started so late," Pittman told the AP. "There were several hundred people who didn't show up."
The second shift seemed to have normal attendance, he told the Observer.
"It's been a rough day," Pittman said. "All we were trying to do today is get the product out the door."
Pittman told the AP the company spent most of Thursday trying to persuade Hispanic workers who stayed home to return to work, an effort that included advertising on a Spanish language radio station.
Pittman has been told union members were in the parking lot Wednesday night telling workers to leave so ICE couldn't detain them, but the union has denied that. ICE officials were gone from the plant by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Pittman said.
On Thursday, the workers were calling each other, the union and representatives from area churches.
"The wife of one of the workers who was picked up started calling his co-workers saying, 'Don't go to work, immigration officials are there,'" Pena said.
Salvador Salazar, Hispanic ministry coordinator at St. Francis DeSales Church in Lumberton, said several people contacted him in a panic asking for help looking for their loved ones. One was a mother with three children.
"They're very concerned about how they'll live," Salazar said.
Likely on the minds of many immigrant employees is whether ICE officials will arrest more workers.
"We still have people thinking ICE is here, and they're not here," Pittman said. "ICE told us they got the group of people they were looking for."
If employees don't go back to work for three days without calling, "We would have to replace them," Pittman said.
Not attending work is common in the region, he said.
"Everyone in the area is experiencing people not coming to work," he said Thursday morning. "This has put a lot of fear in people in the area." IMAGE program
The arrests stem from information gleaned about the employees since Smithfield joined the IMAGE program last year. Under IMAGE — which stands for ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers — Smithfield must now cross reference all employees' names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and genders.
Smithfield has been criticized for joining the program, but Pittman has said the company had no choice if it wanted to avoid immigration raids. He said ICE told the company it was coming on Wednesday and said it wasn't a raid.
Immigration officials showed up in unmarked cars and plain clothes, Pittman said. The workers were then sent into a room with ICE officials, questioned and arrested, spokesman Raimondi said.
Union and church officials repeatedly pointed fingers at the pork processing plant for the arrests. Some people said the workers who were most vocal about unionization were some of those arrested.
There's been talk of unionization at the plant for a decade.
A statement from the union Thursday said arrests are likely to continue and that ICE violated its own guidelines, "which preclude the agency from facilitating the use of immigration laws of enforcement to intervene in the course of a labor dispute," the statement said.
"The entire community has been terrorized," said Gene Bruskin, head of the Smithfield Justice Campaign, a national coalition backed by the union. "Parents are being torn from their young children who don't know where they are. Many of these workers have given their life blood to this company for (years) and now are being summarily handed over to be arrested and discarded. It is unconscionable and continues Smithfield's pattern of callous disregard for the wellbeing of its workers."
Typically, the strongest investigative efforts by ICE are directed toward companies that have made employing illegal immigrants a "business model," ICE spokeswoman Jaime Zuieback said Wednesday night. But Smithfield is not one of those target companies, and she commended it for cooperating fully.
Because of discrepancies with employee records found through IMAGE, about 500 more immigrant workers are expected to lose their jobs starting the second week of February, Pittman has said. Employee unrest
In November, hundreds of workers walked out of the plant, protesting the firing of 75 employees who were unable to provide verifiable documentation that they were working legally.
After mediation with the Rev. Carlos Arce, of St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Red Springs, Smithfield rehired the 75 workers and gave them 60 days to provide verifiable documentation, or they'd be fired.
For months, Smithfield has been running employee information through the IMAGE program. Each of those workers gets 60 days to provide proof they are eligible to work in the U.S.
Zuieback said Wednesday she was unaware if the arrested workers had received letters from Smithfield telling them they would be terminated.
Some mismatches in documentation are simple to fix — such as proving a new last name because of marriage.
Those employees are in the clear, Pittman said. About 500 others are not because they likely won't be able to provide proof.
Because about 75 reviews were conducted per week, it will take a couple of months for all the employees' 60-day review periods to expire and for them to be terminated.
"The last thing we want to do is lose trained people," Pittman said. "But we have to comply with federal regulations to make sure they're eligible to work."
Self-policing its workforce through IMAGE is supposed to reduce the company's chances of immigration raids.
Smithfield will immediately look to replace the terminated workers, Pittman said.
"I'm hoping every one of them gets it fixed," he said.
While there seem to be plenty of applicants who could be hired as replacements, the terminations will slow production and cost the plant substantially for new training, he said.
Any employee who leaves the company on good terms and who gives at least two weeks' notice is eligible for COBRA health benefits and unused vacation pay, Pittman said. The workers facing termination aren't excluded from that.
Fired workers will certainly be in a tight spot, but the local economy shouldn't take a substantial hit, said Chuck Heustess, executive director of the Bladen County Economic Development Commission.
"You feel sorry for the individuals, but at the same time, Smithfield would be crazy to employ illegally when the federal government is cracking down," Huestess said. "They'll find 500 new people."
Rumors were flying in the plant about the terminations before the arrests Wednesday.
"What is clear is there's a lot of misinformation and fear among the workers about what's going to happen," Pena said.
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