So, I see a lot of people wondering why the executives at that plant that ICE raided weren’t themselves arrested - you know, for illegally employing undocumented workers (which, if I’m not mistaken, is in fact against the law).

Now this is one of those things that makes me say, “Hmmm….”

Wednesday’s raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which led to nearly 700 workers being detained, targeted seven Koch Foods Inc. poultry plants in Morton, Mississippi. As it happens, last year, Koch Foods settled a $3.75 million lawsuit for racial discrimination, national origin discrimination, and sexual harassment against its Latinx workers in that very same Morton facility.

According to the suit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), supervisors, “touched and/or made sexually suggestive comments to female Hispanic employees, hit Hispanic employees, and charged many of them money for normal everyday work activities.” Many workers were reportedly either discharged or subjected to other forms of retaliation when they complained.

As part of the settlement, Koch Foods not only paid out a massive sum to the victims, but also agreed to implement training for employees and set up a 24-hour hotline for reporting discrimination complaints in both English and Spanish. The settlement lasted three years, which means Koch Foods is still under supervision to continue efforts to reduce discrimination in its work place.

thinkprogress.org

Color me cynical, but there’s one to get out of paying, huh?

Arrest and deport the workers. I’d be willing to wager a buck or two the executives set this raid up with ICE - to get rid of a now-inconvenient workforce.