JACKSON, Miss.- Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HIS), in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, raided seven different Mississippi food processing plants, including Koch’s processing facility in Morton, Mississippi.
Koch Foods is cooperating with the government’s ongoing investigation. Koch is diligent about its compliance with state and federal employment eligibility laws including being an early adopter of the government’s own E-Verify program which screens new hires through the Social Security Administration, as well as the Department of Homeland Security to ensure they are compliant.
Koch’s Morton facility, which employs more than 1,000 people, did not operate during the first shift today and is trying to determine how many employees were detained by federal authorities. The company intends to continue to operate all shifts at the facility and minimize customer impact.
Koch is monitoring the situation closely and encourages families of employees detained to contact the ICE hotline for further information at 1-888-351-4024.
