ICE arrests over 600 immigrant workers in Mississippi News
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ICE arrests over 600 immigrant workers in Mississippi

In the largest single-state workplace enforcement action in US history, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed multiple federal criminal search warrants in Mississippi on Wednesday. The result was the arrest of 680 immigrant workers from seven agricultural processing plants that were raided.

ICE’s newsroom released a statement, saying in part:

All the unlawfully present foreign nationals arrested Wednesday are being interviewed by ICE staff to record any potential mitigating humanitarian situations. Based on these interviews, and consideration of their criminality and prior immigration history, ICE is determining on a case-by-case basis based on the totality of the circumstances which individuals will be detained and which persons may be released from custody at present. In all cases, all the illegal aliens encountered as part of this operation are either being placed into removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts, and for those who already received due process and have been ordered removed, processed for removal from the U.S.

These raids are the largest to take place under the current administration, and were reportedly part of a year-long investigation. The individuals being detained are suspected of working without lawful status and according to a spokesperson for ICE they are being given their due process.