115 ILLEGALS ARRESTED AT MOOREFIELD CHICKEN PLANT

(04/19/2008)

Federal agents have arrested 115 illegal workers at a Pilgrim's Pride chicken plant in Moorefield, West Virginia. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say agents had taken 311 people into custody at the West Virginia and other US plants by Thursday afternoon. Ninety-one face criminal charges alleging false use of a Social Security number and document fraud. The rest face charges of immigration violations and were being processed for deportation. Pilgrim's Pride, the nation's largest chicken producer, is not facing charges because they cooperated with officials. The sting operation stemmed from a long-term investigation that began early last year that included a Pilgrim's Pride worker accused of dealing identification documents and a human resources employee at the company's Mount Pleasant facility. Job seekers would pay hundreds of dollars for identification that would get them jobs at Pilgrim's Pride. The workers arrested in the latest roundup are from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Colombia.

Hur Herald ®from Sunny Cal The information on these pages, to the extent the law allows, remains the exclusive property of Bob Weaver and Dianne Weaver The Hur Herald. All information may be freely used but must not be sold or used in any type of commercial endeavor, or used on any web site without the express permission of the owners ©Bob and Dianne Weaver, The Hur Herald, 1999, 2000, 2001