The Associated Press’ Heather Hollingsworth and Valerie Gonzalez reported that “meatpacking industry groups raised concerns Friday that recent heightened immigration operations in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma have caused employees to miss work, leading to problems at meat-related businesses that could ultimately raise prices for consumers.”
“The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Kansas Livestock Association said in a statement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have prompted delays in the shipment of thousands of cattle, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue,” Hollingsworth and Gonzalez reported. “The groups say ICE operations have disrupted operations at feedlots, dairy processors, feed and grain companies, and transportation hubs.”
The New York Times’ Kevin Draper and J. David Goodman reported that “the most recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids occurred in Kansas, near the border with Texas and Oklahoma, and appeared to come without warning or, according to both Kansas senators, cooperation with local authorities.”
“… The enforcement activity began Wednesday morning, local officials said, in an area of southwest Kansas that is sometimes called the golden triangle of beef,” Draper and Goodman reported. “The officials said they were not given advance notice and received no information about the number of arrests or the identities of those arrested.”
Bloomberg’s Ilena Peng and Alicia A. Caldwell reported that “Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement Friday that ICE was not conducting worksite enforcement operations in Kansas, but instead targeted criminals and foreigners with outstanding deportation orders.”
“A spokesperson from the United Food and Commercial Workers said employees at Cargill Inc. and National Beef have been detained,” Peng and Caldwell reported. “The actions took place in the surrounding community, the spokesperson said Friday, adding that immigration officials didn’t enter meatpacking facilities.”
Daily Slaughter Numbers Lower Over Past Week
Bloomberg’s Peng and Caldwell reported that “there has been a ‘significant downfall’ in operations in the area’s plants, due to upticks in employee absences, the spokesperson said.”
Progressive Farmer’s Chris Clayton reported that “USDA’s daily slaughter reports showed 8,000 fewer head processed on Sept. 23 and 17,000 fewer head processed on Sept. 24 than a week earlier. USDA also revised its daily slaughter numbers for Tuesday, Sept. 22, down 5,000 head to 100,000 head from its initial estimate of 105,000, Reuters reported. On Monday, Sept. 21, packers processed 2,000 more head than a week earlier.“
“The ICE action comes as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on illegal immigration while at the same time searching for ways to lower consumer beef prices,” Clayton reported. “The administration has taken multiple actions to try to increase beef supplies, including temporarily removing tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of imported beef trim.”
Kansas Senators Stress Importance of Working with Local Authorities
AgWeb’s Angie Stump Denton reported that “Kansas U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Dr. Roger Marshall both made posts on X about the ICE agents in Southwest Kansas. Moran says agents are carrying out warrants in the area and that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says the warrants are only for the purpose of arresting individuals who have been charged with criminal activities.”
Politico’s Samuel Benson and Eric Bazail-Eimil reported that “Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) — a normally staunch MAGA defender who finds himself in a tougher-than-expected election — took to social media to say he was ‘closely following’ the situation, signaled his displeasure that ICE wasn’t working more closely with local law enforcement, and said he had phoned Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.”
“Later, he complained that ICE’s failure to communicate with local law enforcement caused ‘mass disruptions to local communities and businesses,'” Benson and Bazail-Eimil reported.
