Feds Raid Swift
Ed Morrissey
The Department of Homeland Security raided six Swift processing plants yesterday in an effort to end the theft of legitimate Social Security numbers by illegal immigrants. The meatpacker complained bitterly about the raids, but sounded defensive over an issue for which they have no blame:
Federal officials raided six meatpacking plants across the country Tuesday in the culmination of a 10-month investigation triggered by allegations that illegal immigrants were using the stolen identities of U.S. citizens.
The raids, all at plants operated by Swift & Co., resulted in arrests of workers on immigration violations and some existing criminal warrants, with charges of aggravated identity theft possible at a later date, officials said. The number of arrests was not immediately known. The company was not charged.
The action targeted the use of legitimate Social Security numbers by illegal immigrants -- what Jamie Zuieback, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, called "a massive identity-theft scheme." ...
After the raids: The whining begins
Michelle Malkin
First, check out this reaction to yesterday's illegal alien worker raids published in the Des Moines Register:
Caption: Hector Angel, a Marshalltown business owner, states his point of view about the raid as ICE buses roll away from the plant.
A natural response from open-borders zealots who've been giving the finger to immigration law for years. Right on cue, labor groups are demanding a moratorium on deportations and open-borders Catholic leaders are protesting.
In Denver, 9News reports on the negotiations between the Swift & Company's Greeley, Colorado and the feds to make sure that embarrassment was kept to a minimum. How nice:
9NEWS has learned that last week Swift & Company went to court in Texas to file a restraining order to stop the raid from happening.
9NEWS has also learned the raid was scheduled to happen Monday, but an agreement was made between Swift & Company and the Federal Government to delay the raid because Japanese businessmen, who are potential customers, were visiting the Greeley plant.
E.P. at Slapstick Politics has a Colorado round-up.
The New York Times, like many other outlets, runs a large photo of arrested workers' families in tears. Not pictured are any of the hundreds of American victims of illegal alien identity theft whose Social Security numbers were stolen to enable the illegal alien workers to work.
Who will tell their stories?
Here's a bit more detail on the identity theft scheme from the local Greeley, Colo. paper. One of the victims was a Border Patrol agent! ...
