Agricultural Personnel Management Program
University of California

4/25/01  News Report -- Des Moines Register

Immigration agents on Tuesday arrested 91 egg-processing workers from the Clarion area.

The workers are in the country illegally, said Alonzo Martinez of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service's Omaha office. Most of them had submitted false information on their employment applications, indicating they were citizens or in the country legally.

A company named Iowa Ag found the workers for Boomsma egg facilities in the north-central Iowa area, Martinez said.

Four of the five egg farms raided Tuesday are in Wright County. The other is in Hardin County. Iowa Ag's office in Clarion also was searched, Martinez said at a press conference held at Camp Dodge in Johnston.

Martinez declined to name company officials involved in the case. The firms weren't listed in telephone directories or in an industry guide. The companies could not be reached for comment late Tuesday afternoon.

The workers - 64 men, 25 women and two brothers ages 15 and 17 - were arrested by immigration agents shortly after 7:45 a.m., Martinez said. Martinez said most were from Mexico.

Most of the employees packed eggs into crates for shipping, Martinez said.

The workers were taken to Camp Dodge, where they will be detained until they are deported. Deportation is supposed to begin Thursday.

The investigation, which has been conducted for more than a year, continues, Martinez said. He said charges against the companies and further worker arrests are possible, but he declined to elaborate.

The workers' records will be checked to see whether workers have charges pending or have been deported before. If so, they may face more penalties, Martinez said.

Some may choose to post bond and to appear before a federal judge to fight deportation, he said.

Immigration officials have other investigations involving agricultural operations in Iowa and Nebraska, Martinez said. He declined to elaborate.

The number of arrests was high for such a case but not unheard of, Martinez said. Agents arrested about 200 workers at an Omaha meatpacking plant in December.