An illegal immigrant attacked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and their federal colleagues Wednesday while they were carrying out a warrant at a meat-producing facility in Omaha, Nebraska, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
More than 70 illegal immigrants were arrested by ICE during the raid; some of them had prior DUI convictions, local arrest warrants, or had been deported, according to the agency.
“Yesterday, an illegal alien from Honduras brandished a weapon and assaulted federal agents and officers who were doing their job: protecting American citizens, the public and businesses who are being victimized through identity fraud,” ICE acting Director Todd Lyons stated on Wednesday.
“If you’re here illegally, you’ve already broken the law. When you break the law by coming here illegally and then threaten and assault federal officers on top of that — you’re a threat, plain and simple.”
According to ICE, many of the 70 individuals arrested on Wednesday might now be charged with additional federal offences, such as assaulting a federal officer, resisting arrest, unlawful reentry, fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other papers, and/or misuse of Social Security numbers.
“Our ICE agents and officers — along with our federal partners — put their lives on the line every day to protect the American public. They don’t ask for praise. They ask for the support,” ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito stated.
“The reckless rhetoric being thrown around doesn’t just insult their sacrifice, it actively puts communities at risk, undermines law enforcement, and emboldens those who are actively looking to do harm. These men and women swore an oath to uphold the law and should not have to fear the very people they are sworn to protect.”
While protestors gathered outside the food facility Tuesday during the raid tossed rocks at ICE cars as a white bus carrying workers pulled away from the operation, others hopped on the front bumper of an official vehicle. ICE did not provide specifics about how officers were assaulted.
The president of Glenn Valley Foods, Chad Hartmann, told The Associated Press that he was shocked by the raid and that the company verifies employees’ immigration status using E-Verify before employing them.
“My biggest issue is: Why us?” Hartmann stated. “We do everything by the book.”
According to Hartmann, ICE authorities who were present during the raid reportedly informed him that the E-Verify system was malfunctioning.
“I mean, what am I supposed to do with that?” Hartmann stated. “This is your system, run by the government. And you’re raiding me because your system is broken?”
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Officials are “telling friends and allies to standby momentarily as we continue to gather and verify information and coordinate proper guidance for families affected,” according to a Facebook post made by Douglas County Commissioner Roger Garcia on Wednesday.
“There are response groups that have been activated and also safe spaces for families to go, alongside legal representation that is being coordinated,” Garcia stated. “We are still trying to find out more information on how many were detained today, how many sites (Lala and Glenn Valley verified thus far, JBS may have been mistakenly listed we are looking into it), and where those detained are being taken.”
The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Nebraska State Patrol, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, ICE Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations Omaha, and the Nebraska Department of Vehicles Fraud Unit were among the agencies involved in the multi-agency operation.
