U.S. immigration officials descended en masse on Morton, Mississippi earlier today, raiding multiple food processing plants with devastating effectiveness.
USA Today further reports:
Workers filled three buses – two for men and one for women – at a Koch Foods Inc. plant in tiny Morton, 40 miles east of Jackson. They were taken to a military hangar to be processed for immigration violations. About 70 family, friends and residents waved goodbye and shouted, “Let them go! Let them go!” Later, two more buses arrived.
Workers who were confirmed to have legal status were allowed to leave the plant after having their trunks searched.
“It was a sad situation inside,” said Domingo Candelaria, a legal resident and Koch worker who said authorities checked employees’ identification documents.
The company did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Approximately 680 illegal immigrants were detained during today’s operation.