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http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0%2C1249%2C...56775%2C00.html
70 at plant in Heber may face deportation
Charges not likely to be filed against Bear Creek, SOS
By Deborah Bulkeley
Deseret Morning News
HEBER CITY --As many as 70 workers at a soup manufacturing plant here could face deportation after a customs investigation revealed they were apparently working under fraudulent identification, federal investigators say.
David Ward, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Provo, said Friday that his investigation found about 60 percent of the w
rkers at Bear Creek Country Kitchens had gained their employment using fraudulent Social Security numbers.
The workers were employed by Bear Creek, either directly or through the Salt Lake City-bas
ed
OS Staffing Services, Ward said. Both compa
nies, however, say fewer than 40 of the investigated employees were actually found to be illegal.
Ward said the investigation stemmed from tips the ICE office received from people claiming they had been laid off so that they could be replaced by illegal workers. He said both Bear Creek and SOS have been "very cooperative" and will not likely face criminal charges. Ward said he was not yet aware of any workers who have shown documentation to their employers, but the investigation is continuing.
Ward said Friday was the deadline for workers to present proof of their eligibility to work to their employer. Ward said all of the workers will be investigated.
"If it turns out they are illegally in the United St
ates, in terms of documentation, it's very likely we are going to be looking for them," Ward said. "If we find they are using fraudulent and counterfeit documentation, that's a
fed
eral
crime.
"They could be prosecuted criminally in federal court and then depo
rted."
This is the first time that ICE has investigated Bear Creek, Ward said. JoAnn Wagner, chief executive officer of SOS, said this is the second or third time her company has been investigated by immigration agents, but it's the first time any employees have been found out to be illegal.
Michael Rosoff, environmental health, safety and risk manager at Bear Creek, said the plant employs about 100 full-time workers and as many as 50 temporary workers. He said of the 43 workers investigated at his plant only seven were actually plant employees, mostly technical machine operators. The rest were temporary workers employed through SOS, he said.
"They were all foreign nationals, we
thought they were all legal," he said. "We will take every one of them back once their papers are in order. These are good people."
Wagner said about 30 employ
ees will
be fire
d if they fail to
produce proper documentation. The company employs about 30,000 people a year in the Western Unite
d States, and 3,300 in Utah.
"To come out and make a statement that U.S. workers lost their jobs because the company wanted to hire illegal (workers) would not be true for Bear Creek, or for us," she said.
Some residents of this town of 7,291, including a few former employees, said they weren't surprised by the fact that Bear Creek apparently had illegal workers on its payrolls. Many of those residents asked not to be identified.
One former employee, Sandra Clift, said, "Human resources don't pay enough attention," especially during "soup season" (or fall) when there is pressure to hire as many people as possible. "I don't t
hink it's anyone's direct fault."
Others, many of whom know the company's original founders, said they were surprised by the news.
"
;I guess it
does surpris
e me," said Jerry Se
awright. "I know they wouldn't knowingly break the law."
Bear Creek, which opened here in 1991, has been a key employer and good community partner
, said City Manager Mark Anderson.
"They have a good product that reflects well on the community," he said. "I'm confident the management will address these issues."
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0%2C1249%2C...56775%2C00.html
70 at plant in Heber may face deportation
Charges not likely to be filed against Bear Creek, SOS
By Deborah Bulkeley
Deseret Morning News
HEBER CITY --As many as 70 workers at a soup manufacturing plant here could face deportation after a customs investigation revealed they were apparently working under fraudulent identification, federal investigators say.
David Ward, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Provo, said Friday that his investigation found about 60 percent of the w
rkers at Bear Creek Country Kitchens had gained their employment using fraudulent Social Security numbers.
The workers were employed by Bear Creek, either directly or through the Salt Lake City-bas
ed
OS Staffing Services, Ward said. Both compa
nies, however, say fewer than 40 of the investigated employees were actually found to be illegal.
Ward said the investigation stemmed from tips the ICE office received from people claiming they had been laid off so that they could be replaced by illegal workers. He said both Bear Creek and SOS have been "very cooperative" and will not likely face criminal charges. Ward said he was not yet aware of any workers who have shown documentation to their employers, but the investigation is continuing.
Ward said Friday was the deadline for workers to present proof of their eligibility to work to their employer. Ward said all of the workers will be investigated.
"If it turns out they are illegally in the United St
ates, in terms of documentation, it's very likely we are going to be looking for them," Ward said. "If we find they are using fraudulent and counterfeit documentation, that's a
fed
eral
crime.
"They could be prosecuted criminally in federal court and then depo
rted."
This is the first time that ICE has investigated Bear Creek, Ward said. JoAnn Wagner, chief executive officer of SOS, said this is the second or third time her company has been investigated by immigration agents, but it's the first time any employees have been found out to be illegal.
Michael Rosoff, environmental health, safety and risk manager at Bear Creek, said the plant employs about 100 full-time workers and as many as 50 temporary workers. He said of the 43 workers investigated at his plant only seven were actually plant employees, mostly technical machine operators. The rest were temporary workers employed through SOS, he said.
"They were all foreign nationals, we
thought they were all legal," he said. "We will take every one of them back once their papers are in order. These are good people."
Wagner said about 30 employ
ees will
be fire
d if they fail to
produce proper documentation. The company employs about 30,000 people a year in the Western Unite
d States, and 3,300 in Utah.
"To come out and make a statement that U.S. workers lost their jobs because the company wanted to hire illegal (workers) would not be true for Bear Creek, or for us," she said.
Some residents of this town of 7,291, including a few former employees, said they weren't surprised by the fact that Bear Creek apparently had illegal workers on its payrolls. Many of those residents asked not to be identified.
One former employee, Sandra Clift, said, "Human resources don't pay enough attention," especially during "soup season" (or fall) when there is pressure to hire as many people as possible. "I don't t
hink it's anyone's direct fault."
Others, many of whom know the company's original founders, said they were surprised by the news.
"
;I guess it
does surpris
e me," said Jerry Se
awright. "I know they wouldn't knowingly break the law."
Bear Creek, which opened here in 1991, has been a key employer and good community partner
, said City Manager Mark Anderson.
"They have a good product that reflects well on the community," he said. "I'm confident the management will address these issues."