Rough Jobs, Illegal Immigration and Identity Theft

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Horrendous working conditions in meatpacking plants were exposed by Upton Sinclair in his novel, The Jungle, back in 1906. One hundred years later, the plants are staffed mostly by recent immigrants, both illegal and legal. Last week, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau raided Swift & Company plants in six states. Agents, some wearing riot gear, locked down the plants and divided employees by citizenship status. The expressed purpose of Operation Wagon Train was to crack down on identity theft, but only 65 charges were filed against 1282 people arrested. It's alleged that some of those arrested were separated from their families, even though they were legal residents who left their papers at home. Scattered families are trying to get back together where meatpacking is all that keeps towns together.  Will the incident spark immigration reform in the new Congress?

Credits

Guests:

  • Dianne Solis - Reporter for the Dallas Morning News
  • Ira Mehlman - Federation for American Immigration Reform - @FAIRImmigration
  • Sylvia Martinez - Chairwoman of Latinos UnidosChairwoman of Latinos Unidos, an advocacy group based in Greeley, Colorado
  • Jill Cashen - Spokeswoman for the United Food and Commercial Workers
  • Mark Grey - Director of the Iowa Center for Immigrant Leadership and Integration

Host:

Warren Olney