Fresh Del Monte Confirms Customs Visit

[BadgerKid]

Source: Houston Chronicle

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Fresh Del Monte, a top pineapple seller and banana producer, on Wednesday confirmed agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office visited its Portland, Ore., plant.

On Tuesday, more than 165 plant workers were detained to be processed for possible deportation, officials said, and three people were indicted on immigration, illegal documents and identity theft charges.

The raid occurred at American Staffing Resources Inc. offices at a Fresh Del Monte Produce fruit and vegetable processing plant, and was based on an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Social Security Administration that began in January, officials said. Separate American Staffing offices also were searched, along with a Fresh Del Monte office.

Fresh Del Monte said it was advised it is not a current target of the investigation and will cooperate with the probe. The company also said it retained American Staffing Resources to provide a contingent labor force at its Portland plant.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4885869.html

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Is this a token raid?

[havocmom]

1. Token raid? Well, let's see if there are anymore raids this week

Betting on tokens.

edited to add:

We might look at who gets raided and political contributions too, ya know, just to sorta separate the wheat from the protection racket :evilgrin:

[thethinker]

2. If they keep after employers

like this, it will fix the problem of illegal immigrants. Please notice that Del Monte had American Staffing Resources hire their illegals. That way, even if Del Monte knew they were undocumented workers, only American Staffing Resources would be in trouble. This is the same way I see builders and others hiring undocumented workers, through a third party.

Were these 165 jobs ones that Americans didn't want?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. Heard on the radio this afternoon that all positions have been filled

at $7.85 per hr. (min. wage in OR) People were lining up first thing this morning.

trying to verify... google is giving me nothing so far...

[Liberal Veteran]

3. It's not just contigent labor.

I worked at factory once about 85 miles north of the Mexican border and one day border patrol showed up at the factory and it looked like angry hornet nest with people running through the back doors and passing keys and stuff to get out of there before they checked ID's.

As hard it was for me just to get a job with them, I can't imagine the company wasn't aware of the number of illegal immigrants were working there.

[hunter]

4. They needed to lay off a bunch of people or hire some fresh workers.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Social Security Administration contract for this sort of work.

A Fresh Del Monte executive has a labor problem -- too many workers, wages getting too high, workers demanding too much -- and he tips off the Feds. He pays a fee, and his problem is solved.

[Sherman A1]

5. A few of these "employers"

in Gitmo and the problem would be solved.