MN Pork Farm Raided By ICE In Multi-State Operation

SLEEPY EYE, MN — United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement says a series of criminal arrest warrants were executed Wednesday for 17 people connected to an alleged criminal conspiracy to exploit immigrants for profit, fraud, wire fraud and money laundering in Nebraska and Minnesota.

Authorities also arrested 133 workers suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. Some will be issued notices to appear before a federal immigration judge and released from custody; the rest will remain in ICE custody pending immigration court proceedings.

Law enforcement believes the alleged conspirators colluded to create an illegal workforce in their respective businesses.

Authorities suspect immigrants were exploited through force, coercion, or threat of arrest or deportation. They were required to cash their paychecks at an illegal remittance business for a fee, have tax money deducted from their pay even though this money was never paid to the government, and were coerced to remain quiet about this criminal activity, officials said.

Among the businesses targeted was Sleepy Eye-based Christensen Farms, which also has locations in Appleton, Minnesota and Atkinson, Nebraska.

Christensen Farms spokesperson Amber Portner told the Star Tribune the company was "surprised and disappointed to learn that one of our third party vendors is not in compliance with immigration policies."

"At Christensen Farms, we have an expectation that all of partners and third party vendors uphold the same high standards as our company," she added.

ACLU of Nebraska denounced the raid, calling it part of the Trump administration's "ongoing campaign of misery that targets immigrants, disrupts local businesses and separates families."

ICE said the alleged conspirators defrauded the U.S. government and created an unfair advantage over their business competitors.

Image via Immigration and Customs Enforcement