Register for E-mail alerts. Comment on articles. Sign up today, it's easy.
Close
The Washington Times Online Edition

Plant raid in S. Carolina nets 300

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Federal agents stand by outside the House of Raeford's Columbia Farms chicken-processing plant in Greenville, S.C. About 300 suspected illegal immigrants were detained during a shift change.ASSOCIATED PRESS Federal agents stand by outside the House of Raeford’s Columbia Farms chicken-processing plant in Greenville, S.C. About 300 suspected illegal immigrants were detained during a shift change.

GREENVILLE, S.C. | Federal agents swept through a chicken-processing plant Tuesday, detaining more than 300 suspected illegal immigrants and sending panicked workers running and screaming through the hallways.

Worried relatives gathered outside, fearful their loved ones would be deported.

Police and agents during a shift change ordered all workers at the House of Raeford’s Columbia Farms to show identification, according to officials and witnesses.

The business had been under scrutiny for months, and the raid comes on the heels of even larger roundups at plants across the country.

Maria Juan, 22, was one of about 50 relatives and friends who huddled at the edge of the plant after the raid, some weeping and others talking frantically on cell phones.

She was seeking information about her 68-year-old grandmother, a legal immigrant from Guatemala who went to work without identification papers but was later released.

“Families are going to be broken apart,” Miss Juan said. “There will be kids and babies left behind. Why are they doing this? Why? They didn’t do anything. They only wanted to work.”

Workers began running down hallways crying and screaming, said Herbert Rooker, 54, a third-shift janitor. He wore a blue band on his wrist, indicating agents had determined he was in the country legally.

Mr. Rooker had to duck into a bathroom to avoid what he called a stampede of people.

“I didn’t know what they were running from. I had no reason to run,” said Mr. Rooker, who remained at the plant five hours after the raid because police still had his truck blocked.

Immigration officials kept the workers inside and spent most of the morning trying to figure out how many are in the country illegally, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald said.

The number could be substantial. A recent review found that immigration paperwork for more than 775 of 825 workers contained false information, Mr. McDonald said.

Immigration agents scoured the plant for paperwork and other information for the investigation.

Hector Zapata said he was hauled in when he dropped his daughter off for work. Agents ignored his cries that he didn’t work there, he said. Seven hours later, his daughter, in the U.S. legally, emerged, joining dozens of others milling around trying to figure out where their loved ones were being taken.

Officials are arranging to care for children of workers detained in the raid, one of several nationwide this year.

Story Continues →

View Entire Story
Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus
You Might Also Like
  • Delegate Robert G. Marshall holds a book as he reads to the House during debate on a bill defining life at the moment of conception during the House session at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Monday, Feb. 13, 2012.  (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

    Virginia House vote states life starts at conception

    By David Sherfinski - The Washington Times

  • A bomb specialist examines debris Tuesday in Bangkok where two explosions rocked a neighborhood. An Iranian man injured by a grenade he was carrying also was linked to a blast that ripped part of a roof off a house. (Associated Press)

    U.S. concerned about spike in Iran-Israel ‘shadow war’

    By Guy Taylor - The Washington Times

  • Mabus

    Naming of Navy ships returns to tradition

    By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times

  • In Case You Missed It
    Happening Now

          Independent voices from the TWT Communities

          Haydon's Soccer and Sports Pitch

          Covering the world of soccer, including the World Cup, Major League Soccer, D.C. United and the English Premier League and other interesting sporting events.

          A President for the People

          T.J. O'Hara has joined the political ring, declaring his candidacy for President. If you agree America is in need of solutions rather than political tactics, his is a message worth reading.