As part of a larger probe into illegal immigration, Indiana’s attorney general is questioning Tyson Foods Inc. about its labor recruiting practices, indicating a harder environment for an industry that relies largely on foreign workers.
According to a statement from Todd Rokita’s office, he submitted a civil investigative demand to Tyson Foods in Logansport seeking information on human labor trafficking. The attorney general stated that the broader investigation focuses on the “coordinated efforts” of NGOs and companies to bring “large numbers of migrants to Indiana,” despite Tyson not being under formal investigation.
The move by Rokita, a Donald Trump supporter, demonstrates how meat processors could face increased scrutiny if the president-elect implements a big crackdown on undocumented workers. Trump has revealed that he intends to employ the military to carry out the largest mass deportation in US history.
Companies like Tyson and JBS SA rely on foreign labor to fill hard-to-fill jobs at their cattle, chicken, and pork plants around the country, and they have benefited from the increase in immigration during Joe Biden’s tenure.
“With an open border and millions of people entering illegally, we cannot allow companies to encourage this criminal behavior by providing jobs for cheap labor,” Rokita stated in a prepared statement. “The alarming number of additional people entering our communities is a result of the staggering amount of resources allocated to this fight.”
Tyson is based in Arkansas but maintains a pork facility in Logansport, Indiana. The attorney general has made similar demands for information to NGOs such as Tent Partnership for Refugees, which connects refugees with jobs and has previously worked with Tyson and Berry Global Group, a packaging company.
According to the statement, Tyson Foods must respond to the inquiries in writing by December 4.
According to an email from a company spokeswoman, Tyson Foods is following the request and “demonstrating how seriously we follow all labor laws and regulations.” Everyone who works at the Logansport facility is legally permitted to do so, and the bulk of the team members are American citizens or permanent residents, according to the spokeswoman.
Tent Partnership and Berry Global did not reply to requests for information.
Trump has appointed South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to manage the Department of Homeland Security and Tom Homan, the former acting director of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, as his border czar. During the president-elect’s first term, Homan became the public face of Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policies.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, over half of all hired crop farmworkers do not have legal immigrant status.