The roar of churning helicopter blades, the flashing of lights on the vehicles of armed local and federal law enforcement agents, blocked roads surrounding the plant, and panicked employees running in all directions, this was the scene recently at the Southern Provision meat packing plant in Bean Station, Tennessee. Almost 100 unauthorized workers were rounded up for processing and deportation. Their devastated families struggled to get information about their loved-ones. Mothers in custody worried about who would care for their children when they were unable to return home. Somewhat similar scenes have been repeated at several other workplaces in the past several months. Why? The short answer is that aggressive enforcement against illegal immigration is the order of the day.
It has been several years since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted surprise raids on unsuspecting workplaces. It is one of the tools ICE has once again begun to use to address the illegal immigrant issue that so dominates today’s news cycle. This division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has some on the left calling for its elimination, has been much more assertive in conducting workplace monitoring in 2018 than in any prior year. Considerably more! That is to be expected given the laser-like focus on illegal immigration of the Trump administration. Attempting to dry up the jobs magnet that is the ultimate attraction for most illegal immigrants is one of the highest priorities of the administration. In the first seven months of this year, there have been over 5,000 I-9 audits of U.S. workplaces. That is more than four times the number of Notices of Inspection (NOIs) (audits) that were issued in all of 2017. In addition, ICE agents have arrested an average of over 4,000 illegal immigrants per month compared to the slightly more than 1,700 per month during the Obama administration. The practice of conducting workplace raids, largely unused during the last administration, has returned with vigor as seen in the Southern Provision case and several others. In another recent high profile case involving a large mid-western flower and garden center, ICE agents working undercover went to the employee breakroom and began passing out donuts shortly before the raid. Over 100 undocumented workers were taken into custody, many of them while they were enjoying their government-issued donuts. These employees were then processed for deportation.