Four persons were arrested for attacking ICE officials during a workplace enforcement operation at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Nebraska. Authorities said an investigation is underway and that other arrests may be made.
A workplace enforcement operation at Glenn Valley Foods on June 10 resulted in the arrest of over 70 unlawful foreign nationals, making it Nebraska’s largest worksite enforcement action since the Trump administration began.
Federal officials were assaulted not just by Honduran nationals unlawfully employed in the United States, but also by protestors.
Four “aggressive protestors” were arrested on June 12 after being “caught on video damaging federal property and threatening to assault federal agents and officers following the execution of a federal search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods,” according to ICE.
The demonstration was held “in response to a June 10 operation targeting illegal aliens suspected of victimizing individuals and businesses by using stolen or fraudulent identities and documents to gain employment illegally,” according to ICE.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations is leading the investigation into the protests, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles Fraud Unit.
Those arrested face felony charges for “assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal officer while engaged in the performance of their official duties” as well as charges for damaging government property.
The investigation is still ongoing, according to ICE, and it includes additional persons who are suspected to have committed violent actions.
Glenn Valley Foods employed 70 illegal foreign nationals, some of whom had open local warrants, prior DUI convictions, and had previously been deported and illegally reentered the country, according to ICE. Many apprehended are facing further charges such as “fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents; assaulting a federal officer; resisting arrest; illegal reentry; and/or misuse of social security numbers.”
The Omaha worksite enforcement action was the most recent of over 1,000 worksite enforcement actions carried out in recent months, according to The Center Square.
“Worksite enforcement remains a priority for ICE as it seeks to protect the nation’s workforce, eradicate labor trafficking and hold employers accountable for practices that encourage illegal immigration. Employers found in violation of federal hiring laws may face civil penalties and, in some cases, criminal prosecution,” ICE said.
ICE continues to encourage persons in the country illegally to self-deport.
“If you’re illegally present in the U.S., you don’t have to – and shouldn’t – wait for ICE officials to arrest you,” it says. “Instead, you can leave on your own terms.”
