Investigating Illegal Immigration in Indiana: Tyson Foods Under Investigation
As part of a larger probe into illegal immigration, Indiana's attorney general is questioning Tyson Foods Inc.
As part of a larger probe into illegal immigration, Indiana's attorney general is questioning Tyson Foods Inc. about its labor recruiting practices, indicating a more difficult environment for a sector that depends significantly on foreign workers. According to a statement from his office, Todd Rokita handed Tyson Foods in Logansport a civil investigative demand for information on human labor trafficking. The attorney general stated that although Tyson is not the subject of a formal investigation, the larger inquiry is concentrated on the "coordinated efforts" of companies and NGOs to bring "large numbers of migrants to Indiana."Rokita, a Donald Trump supporter, took this action as an example of how meat processors may face increased scrutiny if the president-elect proceeds with a significant crackdown on undocumented workers. In what he has promised will be the largest mass deportation in US history, Trump has stated that he intends to employ the military to carry out his plans.Businesses like Tyson and JBS SA, who depend on foreign labor for difficult-to-fill positions at their facilities that produce beef, poultry, and pork nationwide, have profited from the increase in immigration under Joe Biden's administration. “When you have an open border and an influx of people coming over illegally by the millions, we can’t have companies incentivizing this criminal behavior by offering jobs for cheap labor,” Rokita said in the statement. “The vast number of additional people coming into our communities is alarming, and that’s just from the standpoint of seeing the staggering number of resources being put towards this fight.”According to the statement, Tyson Foods has until December 4 to reply in writing to the inquiries. A request for comment from Bloomberg was not answered by the corporation. Requests for comment from Berry Global and Tent Partnership were also not immediately answered.Trump has appointed Tom Homan, the former acting head of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, as his border czar and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as his head of Homeland Security. During the first term of the president-elect, Homan served as the public face of Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policies.According to the US Department of Agriculture, almost half of hired farmworkers for crops do not have valid immigrant status.
