GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — During a multi-state operation led by special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a series of criminal arrest warrants were executed Wednesday for 17 individuals connected to an alleged criminal conspiracy to exploit illegal alien laborers for profit, fraud, wire fraud and money laundering in Nebraska and Minnesota.
In addition to these arrest warrants, authorities also served search warrants for worksite hiring violations at agricultural firms in Nebraska and Minnesota, and federal document search warrants at locations throughout Nebraska, in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota; Appleton, Minnesota; and Las Vegas, Nevada. During this investigation, authorities identified employees who were subject to arrest for immigration violations and were unlawfully working at these businesses. These individuals have been illegally residing and working in the United States; they may also have been exploited as part of this alleged criminal conspiracy. During the execution of these search warrants Aug. 8, 133 illegal workers were administratively arrested for immigration violations; 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, 17 individuals located in multiple states, colluded to create an illegal alien workforce in their respective businesses. By doing so, they defrauded the U.S. government and created an unfair advantage over their competition businesses. Additionally, authorities suspect the illegal aliens who were knowingly hired as part of this alleged conspiracy were exploited by the conspirators through force, coercion, or threat of arrest and/or deportation. Specifically, these illegal aliens were allegedly 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.
Search warrants were served at the following businesses and locations:
- Christensen Farms with numerous locations in Appleton, Minnesota; Sleepy Eye, Minnesota; and Atkinson, Nebraska;
- Elkhorn River Farms in O’Neill, Nebraska;
- O’Neill Ventures in O’Neill, Nebraska;
- La Herradura Restaurant in O’Neill, Nebraska;
- El Mercadito (grocery store) in O’Neill, Nebraska;
- A private ranch in O’Neill, Nebraska;
- La Herradura Restaurant in Stromsburg, Nebraska;
- GJW LLC with three locations in Ainsworth, Nebraska;
- J.E. Meurets Grain Company in Ainsworth, Nebraska;
- Herd Co Cattle Company in Bartlett, Nebraska; and
- Long Pine (farm) in Royal, Nebraska.
Note: The above list of locations does not include private residences included in the execution of search and arrest warrants.
This enforcement action is part of a 15-month, ongoing HSI investigation based on evidence that these companies allegedly knowingly hired illegal aliens at their facilities, and that many of these aliens are using fraudulent identification belonging to U.S. citizens.
The following individuals were listed in the indictment. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are not yet in custody follow the Aug. 8 criminal arrests.
- Juan Pablo Sanchez Delgado, aka “Pablo,”
- Antonio De Jesus Castro, aka “Tony,”
- Magdalena Castro Benitez, aka ”Nena,”
- Alma Hernandez Moreno, aka “Aunt,”
- Anayancy Castro Hernandez, aka “Anay,”
- *Fabian Castro, aka “Fabi,”
- Suni Sarahi Sanchez Delgado
- *Osvaldo Sanchez Delgado, aka “Lalo,” aka “Lalito,”
- John Christopher Good,
- *Aracely Heredia Martinez, aka “Donita,”
- Eric Beringer,
- Christopher Thurlow,
- Mayra P. Jimenez Castellon,
- Asiyadeth Jimenez Castellon,
- John Glidden,
- *Jaime Garcia Cota, aka “David,” and
- Lillian Ajin.
This HSI-led enforcement action was coordinated with federal, state and local counterparts including the following agencies: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska; ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol, CBP Air and Marine Operations; and the following Nebraska law enforcement agencies: Holt County Sheriff’s Office, O’Neill Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol.
In the context of any enforcement action, ICE utilizes prosecutorial discretion on cases involving humanitarian concerns, such as health or family considerations. Accordingly, during the enforcement action Wednesday, several individuals were processed and released from custody the same day on humanitarian grounds.
The illegal aliens who remain in ICE custody after being administratively arrested on immigration violations will be transported to a nearby processing facility and placed in removal proceedings. Detained aliens will be held in facilities in Nebraska and Minnesota while awaiting removal proceedings.
A 24-hour toll-free detainee locator hotline is available for family members of those arrested in this operation to field questions about their detention location and status, and the removal process. The hotline operates in English and Spanish; the phone number is 1-888-351-4024.
17 thoughts on “ICE raids Southern Minnesota hog plant, other operations”
You forgot about the plant being compromised by the Chinese government – wow! Owned by the china government ant illegal workers sent from Mexico to work there – What a QUAINT affair our compromised elected officials have created to screw over the American people just to line their own pockets with foreign backed money – Hang em high as they are scum.
I, for one, am eager to pay $6.00 for a dozen eggs, $12.00/lb. for pork chops, and $9.00/pint for strawberries if it opens up a job for Mericans.
You and me both. And better yet – paying American citizens living wages in the meat and produce industry would not cause price hikes anywhere near that.
There are lots of us who are fed up with screwing over our less fortunate neighbors and handing over the country that were supposed to be inherited by or children to strangers from far away countries, just so that we already privileged could get even cheaper roofing jobs, pool services, maids to clean out mansions and pork on our tables.
Open borders, Abolish ICE. Vote democrat. Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the house. Impeach Trump. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez et the rest of the dems for socialism. Ya gotta love the democrats!
With enemies like that – who needs friends?
Allowing people to enter the U.S. then arrest them. Games of deception to be consumed by the masses.
Hooray for the ICE RAIDS
Prestige=Big Trouble
Big Hogs=Big Trouble
What next? The beef farmers? Chicken farmers? Corn farmers? Bean farmers? After them, who will you purchase your food from? Argentina, Brazil, Russia, China?
And those farmers you put out of business, who will compensate them for the loss of income and property? We are not talking about some big corporate entity, but regular farmers who are members of our community. After you finish stabbing them in the back, who will be next?
I get the feeling you want everybody except yourselves to live in caves and eat forage.
The only one’s that are stabbing the farmers in the back are the farmers themselves. They all know it’s illegal to hire undocumented foreign workers. Then when they get caught they whine about it, or somebody (you) does. Besides these aren’t your local (neighbor) farmers, they are large corporations making millions plus a year. Somebodies really pulled the pork bellies over your eyes.
Amazingly shameless, isn’t it? Imagine a dope dealer or pedophile bitching about “compensation” when caught red handed! If you hire illegals, that makes you criminal and you belong in prison, simple as that.
“And those farmers you put out of business, who will compensate them for the loss of income and property?”
You should have read the masterpiece op-ed that Peter Children, wrote about moving all the commercial hog feeding operations to Mexico. It doesn’t seem to bother him that many people would be out their livelihood if his pipe dream were to be implemented.
What are you yapping about!? Compensation!? Are you for real!? These people are not regular farmers, they are douche bag criminals who profit from human trafficking and from screwing over their law abiding competitors. They knowingly hire illegals and so deserve not to be part of any community, not to be compensated, but to have their operations seized and liquidated, and their a** sent to federal prison.
For Pete’s sake can’t we just do away with all these industrial hog centers in the area. If they want to locate here have them build in the country and not mooch off the infrastructure of our small towns. Let boss hog dig his own wells and sewage systems. Don’t use our rivers and dig your own cesspools. South Carolina did and now look at the destruction it did wrought. Porky has to now pay out 250 million for it. Doubtful he’ll pay anyways. Without the infrastructure in situ there is no profit. Otherwise, where’s our slice of the apple pie.
Besides 12 billion dollars ain’t beans. Good luck on that one.
It’s about time the went after the real problem with illegals. The people who subsidize bringing them here and then illegally using them to increase their profits.
Amen brother. I can’t wait for the day when Peggy-Sue in the HR department gets a 10 year sentence for hiring illegals when she knew – OR SHOULD HAVE KNOWN – they used stolen social security numbers on their application. That day Americas problem with illegal immigration will be solved, no wall needed.
It will damn sure help. If the illegals know there are no illegal jobs for them they will quit breaking our laws and sneaking in.