Federal immigration officials claim they found evidence that multiple poultry companies knowingly hired undocumented immigrants that aren’t legally eligible to work in the United States, The Washington Post reports.
Last week in Mississippi, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided seven poultry plants owned by five companies: Peco Foods, Koch Foods, Pearl River Foods, and A&B Inc. and PH Foods, which are both owned by Huo You “Victor” Liang. According to search warrant affidavits that cite videotaped statements from managers, these companies have employed a steady number of immigrants who are not authorized to work in the United States.
Homeland Security Investigations agent Anthony Todd Williams Jr. wrote in the affidavits that there is probable cause to think that these plants intentionally hired undocumented immigrants who showed false documents “for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain,” and that individuals or companies are shown having “actual knowledge” of breaking the law, knowingly hiring at least 10 people who are not authorized to work in the U.S., and can be fined up to $3,000 for each undocumented worker and imprisoned for up to six months.
“No federal law enforcement agency is going to speculate as to if/when any federal criminal charges may be filed … as that is the sole decision of the U.S. Attorney’s office,” ICE spokesperson Bryan Cox wrote in an email to the Post saying that no charges have been filed since the raids.
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