Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
GREELEY, Colo. (AP) -- The head of meatpacker Swift & Co. said federal officials wanted a high-profile example of an immigration crackdown when they staged massive raids on Swift plants in six states.
President and CEO Sam Rovit said the government rejected the company's offer to help investigate alleged identity theft, The Greeley Tribune reported Friday.
"They were looking for a marquee to show the administration it was tough on immigration," he told the newspaper.
Rovit and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press Friday.
ICE arrested 1,282 workers in the Dec. 12 raids. Of those, 246 now face state or federal identity theft charges and the rest face immigration charges.
The raids were in Greeley, the privately held company's headquarters town, and in Grand Island, Neb.; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.
Rovit said Swift had done everything it could to comply with hiring practices established under Basic Pilot, a federal program designed to help employers check applicants' immigration status.
Rovit also told the newspaper the company would refinance its debt and take the company public if it is not sold. The company said last week it was considering options ranging from refinancing to a sale or initial public offering.
Rovit said the company could refinance this summer and go public within two years. He acknowledged that a sale also remains an option.
He predicted the Greeley plant would remain open whether or not the company is sold and lashed out at people he did not name for making "trash" statements about Swift.
"There are a lot of people parading around as industry experts, who put out trade reports based on what our competitors say," Rovit said.
"Those competitors are looking to take advantage of our customers, and what those experts have been saying is trash," he said.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
