Del Monte plant raided; only 48 of the 600 employees are legal US citizens

[Logan13]

Only 48 of the nearly 600 employees at this factory had legitimate Social Security numbers. It's no wonder identity theft has increased so dramaticly in the past decade or so.
Del Monte plant raided; only 48 of the 600 employees are legal US citizens
By WILLIAM McCALL Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore.(AP) — Federal agents on Tuesday raided the offices of a food processing plant suspected of employing hundreds of illegal workers who used Social Security numbers that belonged to other people or were made up, authorities said.

By Tuesday morning, approximately 100 workers had been placed under administrative arrest to be processed for possible ***ortation, an official with the ***artment of Homeland Security said. More arrests were expected, the official said.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to talk about the case ahead of a news conference scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

According to an affidavit filed by Maximillian Trimm, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, only 48 of nearly 600 employees at the Fresh Del Monte Produce fruit and vegetable processing plant had valid Social Security numbers.
Prosecutors said a federal grand jury had indicted three people on criminal charges, but the indictment remained under seal.

The raid at American Staffing Resources Inc. offices at the plant was based on an investigation by ICE and the Social Security Administration that began in January, the official told The Associated Press.

Separate American Staffing offices also were searched, along with a Fresh Del Monte office, officials said.

A federal judge authorized agents to search for evidence of violations such as hiring illegal aliens, identity theft and Social Security fraud, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Portland.

Federal prosecutors said that 20 of the Social Security numbers being misused belonged to people older than 60, and that 29 belonged to dead people.

Aeryca Steinbauer, spokeswoman for CAUSA Oregon, an immigration rights group, was outside the Del Monte plant as agents were interviewing workers, but she said she had not been able to talk to any of them.

[Tock]

I'll bet Del Monte could get lots of workers if they paid enough $$$. Start 'em off at $15 or $20 an hour with benefits, and they'll get lots of workers. Problem is that a can of green beans would cost $4.60.

But, if we want to continue our lifestyle of cheap stuff, we're gonna have to import cheap/slave labor, so we can live the good life.

[Logan13]

I'll bet Del Monte could get lots of workers if they paid enough $$$. Start 'em off at $15 or $20 an hour with benefits, and they'll get lots of workers. Problem is that a can of green beans would cost $4.60.

But, if we want to continue our lifestyle of cheap stuff, we're gonna have to import cheap/slave labor, so we can live the good life.

Del Monte is not the only company that produces and cans these products, and they are most certainly not the cheapest. The difference in wages goes into their pockets, not off of the price on the can goods. It is nice to see us enforcing our laws.

[deadlifts]

I'll bet Del Monte could get lots of workers if they paid enough $$$. Start 'em off at $15 or $20 an hour with benefits, and they'll get lots of workers. Problem is that a can of green beans would cost $4.60.

But, if we want to continue our lifestyle of cheap stuff, we're gonna have to import cheap/slave labor, so we can live the good life.

Tock one of these days your gonna win your first political debate, I promise little buddy. I will get my 12 year old sister on here one time for ya and I will let you and her have a serious political discussion since you both get your information from mtv news.

[RA]

Great. My mixed fruit price is going to go up.