Agents from the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency entered six Swift & Co. plants this morning and began interviewing all employees. Operations at all six have been suspended until the interview process is completed, anticipated to be by the end of the day.

No criminal charges have been filed, but Sam Rovit, Swift chief executive, said that the raids violate the company's agreements with the Federal government under the Basic Pilot worker authorization program, under which Swift verifies online worker eligibility by checking worker information against government data bases. Rovit also said that the government actions may violate the civil rights of individual workers.

"Swift has played by the rules and relied in good faith on a program explicitly held out by the President of the United States as an effective tool to help employers comply with applicable immigration laws," Rovit said.

The plants affected include all of Swift's beef operations and 77 percent of pork operations. They are located in Cactus, Tex.; Grand Island, Neb.; Greeley, Colo.; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.

Swift added that if a substantial number of workers are removed from plants, full production will not be possible until they are replaced.

All right reserved  Pete Hisey on 12/12/2006 for Meatingplace.com