by David L. Wilson, MRzine
July 20, 2008

The huge meatpacking plant had been cited by government agencies for numerous violations of environmental and labor laws and for "acts of inhumane slaughter" of animals. New inquiries were under way into allegations of wage violations and the illegal employment of minors. A large national union was trying to organize the factory's 970 workers. But all this was put on hold the morning of May 12, 2008.

Helicopters, buses, and vans encircled the western part of the tiny community where the plant was located. Hundreds of government agents surrounded the facility and then arrested 389 workers, including 76 adult women and 18 children between the ages of 13 and 17. The majority of the detainees were taken to a cattle association fairground, now converted into a temporary prison and courthouse. The shackled workers were processed in groups of ten through an assembly line of judges, prosecutors, and court-appointed defense lawyers. Faced with trumped-up felony charges, by May 23 a total of 297 workers had accepted plea bargains; 270 were sentenced to five months in prison, while 27 received probation. Almost all the adult workers were to be deported as soon as they had served their time.

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