Nearly 600 Detained In Immigration Raid

Mississippi Plant Raid Sends Shockwave Of Fear Through Immigrant Community As Families Separated

(CBS/AP)  The largest single-workplace immigration raid in U.S. history has caused panic among Hispanic families in this Mississippi town, where federal agents rounded up nearly 600 plant workers suspected of being in the country illegally.

One worker caught in Monday's sweep at the Howard Industries transformer plant said fellow workers applauded as immigrants were taken into custody.

Federal officials said a tip from a union member prompted them to start investigating several years ago. On Monday federal agents in unmarked cars and white vans raided the plant in Laurel, sealing off entrances rounding up suspects, reports CBS affiliate WJTV-TV.

Fabiola Pena, 21, cradled her 2-year-old daughter as she described a chaotic scene at the plant as the raid began, followed by clapping.

"I was crying the whole time. I didn't know what to do," Pena said. "We didn't know what was happening because everyone started running. Some people thought it was a bomb, but then we figured out it was immigration."

About 100 of those detained were released for humanitarian reasons, many of them mothers who were fitted with electronic monitoring bracelets and allowed to go home to their children, officials said.

Some 475 other workers were transferred to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Jena, Louisiana. Nine who were under 18 were transferred to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

John Foxworth, an attorney representing some of the immigrants, said eight appeared in federal court on Tuesday because they face criminal charges for allegedly using false Social Security and residency identification.

He said the raid was traumatic for families.

"There was no communication, an immediate loss of any kind of news and a lack of understanding of what's happening to their loved ones," he said. "A complete and utter feeling of helplessness."

The superintendent of the county school district said about half of the district's approximately 160 Hispanic students were absent Tuesday.

Roberto Velez, pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Peniel, where an estimated 30 to 40 percent the 200 parishioners were caught up in the raid, said children were kept out of school because parents feared immigration officials would take them.

"They didn't send their kids to school today," he said. "How scared is that?"

Those detained were from Brazil, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Peru, said Barbara Gonzalez, an ICE spokeswoman.

Elizabeth Alegria, 26, a Mexican immigrant, was working at the plant Monday when ICE agents stormed in. When they found out she has two sons, ages 4 and 9, she was fitted with a bracelet and told to appear in federal court next month. Her husband, Andres, was not so lucky.

"I'm very traumatized because I don't know if they are going to let my husband go and when I will see him," Alegria said through a translator Tuesday as she returned to the Howard Industries parking lot to retrieve her sport utility vehicle.

Howard Industries is in Mississippi's Pine Belt region, known for commercial timber growth and chicken processing plants. The tech company produces dozens of products ranging from electrical transformers to medical supplies, according to its Web site.

Gonzalez, the ICE spokeswoman, said agents had executed search warrants at both the plant and the company headquarters in nearby Ellisville.

She said no company executives had been detained, but this is an "ongoing investigation and yesterday's action was just the first part."

A woman at the Ellisville headquarters told The Associated Press on Tuesday that no one was available to answer questions.

The Mississippi raid is one of several nationwide in recent years.

On May 12, federal immigration officials swept into Agriprocessors, the nation's largest kosher meatpacking plant, in Iowa. Nearly 400 workers were detained and dozens of fraudulent permanent resident alien cards were seized from the plant's human resources department, according to court records.

In December 2006, 1,297 were arrested at Swift meatpacking plants in Nebraska and five other states.

[maba7]

I find it truly amazing when illegal aliens have rallies and protest marchs demanding their "rights", as they have during this past summer in Portland, Oregon.
So far, they have protested the requirements for driver''s licensing and immigration raids. They are also highly indignant that they are being treated as "criminals" just for having false Social Security numbers and driver licenses based on false identification and addresses.
Auto insurance in mandatory in Oregon, you need a valid driver''s license and Social Security number to get the insurance, so there goes another law down the drain.
What part of "illegal alien" in unclear. The illegals are not immigrants.
What "rights" are they entitled to in the United States?

[miaculpa24]

prsx-Yes, that is what i have said all along. i guess i am more focused on the violent criminals than the people who are just working. i want to see the gang bangers who are here illegally get picked up first. but i guess they have to start somewhere. people have no idea what is coming through the borders. to me these raids are useless. The violent criminals are probably not working real jobs so who knows if they will catch them like this. either way i guess they all have to go. i dont like some of the negative things that are said about immigrants though. i guess because where i live its mostly white so i see the ghetto whites commiting crimes not the immigrants i dont feel so negatively about them like some these other people. i guess my fear is that it is going to affect me in my neighborhood and we already have problems with our citizens we don%u2019t need other peoples problems.

[prsx]

Look, I am really not the bad guy. I hate to see a lot of these ''bad'' people make the good immigrants look bad. I''m sure most are great people. The fact is, I lived in Venezuela (Caracas) and Colombia (Bucaramanga) for 2 years. I loved the people there. I''ve hardly ever seen a more loving, kind and hard working people than they are. What made me feel bad was coming back to the USA and seeing what the ''bad'' illegals had done here and how they were making other latin american people look bad also. That is what really makes me angry. People need to come here legally, get education, get a job, pay their taxes and live a good productive life. With this, everyone stays happy and there is not so much hate....

[miaculpa24]

well i agree with you on that. i think they should stop giving citizenship to children of illegal aliens. i just dont agree with some of the nasty comment people have posted. the goverment has finally decided to start doing these immigration raids but believe me latin america should be pretty peaceful now because i think we have all there violent criminals living here already. as much as i complain it does no good nothing will ever be done.

[prsx]

I''m afraid, you idiot, you got it all wrong. I live in a nice house and and have a great life. I like my life. I was simply stating facts!!!!! A lot, not all, illegals come here, drop babies, get handouts and then go to the streets where they cry, ''I''m so mistreated, give me more''. They are the whiners, not me. I''m not out on the streets where their illegal thugs throw rocks at the police and then cry to the mayor about how they were mistreated and now are going to sue Los Angeles. Quick way to get rich... no work involved....

[miaculpa24]

you idiot i am american. why dont you go back to your trailor park. i have never heard such whining. so what that you didnt get food stamps. neither did i and i have never gone hungry. in fact i have lived quite well with out any help. i dont sit around crying about how i dont get fre *** and everyone else does. in fact i have never heard my friends and my family complain about what is only natural to do which is to work for what you want. i am VERY against illegal immigration but i guess unlike you i dont have to apply for a low paying job which an illegal can easily get. maybe that is why you are so bitter.

[slim1h2o]

americans are lazy thats for sure! if they worked half as fast they wouldnt need to hire illegal immigrants to pick up the slack! i am against illegal immigration but those people who were out there clapping should have been working! and they wonder why they have to bring others in to pick up the slack! im sure the illegals didnt take time from their work to go stand around outside clapping at people.

Posted by miaculpa24 at 04:25 PM : Aug 29, 2008

The above post is by far the dumbest, that I have read in a long time.

And for your assertions that illegals wouldn''t be standing clapping, well you''re right about that.

They''d be running for the nearest sanctuary city, or back under a rock.

[prsx]

Americans are lazy?? I worked 2 jobs and went to school at the same time to support my family. I didn''t get free food stamps and free housing and free medical like a lot of the illegals who drop anchor babies. I worked for my food and shelter. I graduated with an AA degree in computer programming so I could better support my family. Don''t talk to me about lazy americans. All of my brothers and sisters and friends did the exact same thing. If you want food stamps, free medical,.... go back to Mexico or where ever else you came from and ask that government for these free handouts and watch them laugh in your face....

[prsx]

Americans are lazy?? I worked 2 jobs and went to school at the same time to support my family. I didn''t get free food stamps and free housing and free medical like a lot of the illegals who drop anchor babies. I worked for my food and shelter. I graduated with an AA degree in computer programming so I could better support my family. Don''t talk to me about lazy americans. All of my brothers and sisters and friends did the exact same thing. If you want food stamps, free medical,.... go back to Mexico or where ever else you came from and ask that government for these free handouts and watch them laugh in your face....

[miaculpa24]

americans are lazy thats for sure! if they worked half as fast they wouldnt need to hire illegal immigrants to pick up the slack! i am against illegal immigration but those people who were out there clapping should have been working! and they wonder why they have to bring others in to pick up the slack! im sure the illegals didnt take time from their work to go stand around outside clapping at people.

[worstever2]

... and the remaining workers cheered.

IN about 6 months when they close this plant for lack of workers, ship the industry to another country and lay off these cheering workers .. will they be cheering then.

I guess the illegals beat out all the fatass Bubbas who would not work in the first place.

[miaculpa24]

its true about Mexico being gods blind spot! Along with the trailor parks here in the U.S. where he puts all the inbred white people. most of you should be familiar them.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by six-seis-six at 02:10 PM : Aug 29, 2008

I already know Mexican, pendejo, right back at you.

And the correct spelling for morron, is moron, moron.
LOL

[kenammons]

six-seis-six you really need anger management based on some of your posts lol

[kenammons]

god bless the usa

[kenammons]

lovegetpeace no amenesty,no land of this nation to any third world swine, and lots of illegal non-humans ground up for catfish food. and god truly blessing this great nation again

[kenammons]

if mexicans keep invading this country they should be herded into guatemala and belieze then we heavily mine a much shorter border use drones to patrol it set up fire bases operated by homeland security and shell them everytime they violate our sovern border

[kenammons]

i hope and pray god will put a good man in the whitehouse in this next election that will drive the evil illegal invaders from among us build a well fortifid secure border and restore this nation from the evil that bush and clinton have done

[kenammons]

america for americans

[slim1h2o]

Posted by six-seis-six at 08:37 AM : Aug 29, 2008

Maybe you need to take some American spelling lessons.
The two posts that I have read from you, have spelling mistakes.