Postville, Iowa

Immigration officials conducted their largest workplace raid ever, according to numbers released to the press.

They descended on a kosher meat processing plant in Postville Iowa on Monday, May 12th. They performed what they call “administrative arrests” of 390 people. The total headcount at the plant is 968 employees.

Here’s the breakdown:
314 male and 76 female.
290 Guatemalans, 93 Mexicans, 7 Israeli or Unkrainian.

18 were between the ages of 13 and 17.

56 were given supervised release, generally because they are caregivers for relatives.

135 were charged with criminal offenses (mostly identity theft – a new ICE tactic, they say. The immigration lawyers are crying foul because they aren’t prepared for this new wrinkle.)

Of course, those arrested have already filed a counter-suit claiming workplace abuses such as:
*Agriprocessors procured false identification for its immigrant employees

*Withheld money from their paychecks for "immigration fees

*Didn't allow employees to use the restroom during 10-hour shifts

*Didn't compensate employees for overtime

*Were physically abused by supervisorsEquipment issued to perform work was substandard

*A floor supervisors duct-taped the eyes of a Guatemalan employee and then hit the employee with a meat hook

*Immigrants were paid $5 an hour and after three or four months, bumped up to $6

*Employee's taxes were deducted and deposited into bank accounts belonging to an unknown person or people

*An employee transported immigrant employees across state lines to Minnesota to get false state identification cards

*Checks were issued to certain immigrants with an unknown person's name on it and the check would be cashed at another portion of the plant

*A Department of Transportation investigator provided information that a supervisor at the company used an intricate and unlawful scheme to purchase and register a large number of cars for resale to the employees and a supervisor forced the employees to buy the cars from him or be fired.

After reading that list of complaints, you would think the town would be pleased someone is finally cleaning the place out. Not so. The libs and the churches are calling the feds villains for the raid. I suppose they want things the way they were before – torture and slavery.

I know it is common practice to name everybody in your lawsuits, but these folks are suing the feds for abuses at the hands of their employers. “Named in the suit is: United States Immigration Customs Enforcement; Department of Homeland Security; Julie Myers, assistant secretary of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Claude Arnold, Immigration and Customs special agent in charge at Postville; Michael Chertoff, secretary of Department of Homeland Security and Michael Mukasey, Attorney General of the United States.”

Oh, and on Tuesday, the day after the raid, 80% of the employees were absent. Does that tell you anything?

Actually ma'am, ICE is home. The illegal aliens are the ones who need to go home.

Some folks are sporting new jewelry these days.

Buh-bye!