'People are scared': ICE agents raid facility in Omaha

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided an Omaha meatpacking plant on Tuesday morning, sowing fear into the community as advocates and family members attempt to figure out how many people were detained and where they were taken. 

ICE agents arrived at Glenn Valley Foods, a meatpacking plant at 6824 J St. in Omaha, on Tuesday morning. By 11:30 a.m., there was a large crowd of media, activists and employees’ loved ones gathered in the parking lot. 

In a statement, a public affairs officer for the Department of Homeland Security said the raid was “likely the largest to take place in Nebraska since the start of the current presidential administration.”

She said the raid was the result of a federal search warrant executed as part of ongoing criminal investigation into the widespread employment of undocumented people at the plant. 

At about 1 p.m., masked ICE officers drove unmarked cars off the property, followed by a large white bus with boarded-up windows. The federal agents wore face coverings as they drove, and many took videos of the crowd as they passed through.

Protestors yelled profanities and threw water bottles at the passing cars. One unmarked vehicle had a smashed back window after a rock was thrown through it. Video shared to social media showed people attempting to block vehicles with their bodies, only for the cars to continue driving as they held onto the front. 

The raid comes after rumors swirled online Monday about potential ICE raids in Omaha. Raids were reported at a handful of other food processing plants on Tuesday morning, but none aside from Glenn Valley have been confirmed by authorities or businesses. 

The Homeland Security spokesperson said the raid at Glenn Valley was the only ICE action in Omaha on Tuesday. 

Both the Omaha Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office were on scene at Glenn Valley during the raid, but both agencies said their role was limited to traffic control.  

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, who represents Omaha, said the warrant was in relation to stolen identities. Bacon said Glenn Valley is “a victim in this as well” and said the company used E-Verify, an identity verification tool. 

“We understand people’s concerns for their loved one’s safety and have full confidence and expectations that ICE will operate within their legal authority and treat people with respect,” Bacon said in a statement. 

Bacon's office said 75-80 people were detained on suspicion of providing false documents.

Community reacts: ‘Heartbreaking’

The raid coincided with the first day of newly-elected Mayor John Ewing’s term in office. Ewing said in a statement that his office was working to gather facts and “get to the bottom of what happened today.”

“While we knew an enforcement action would take place, we were not privy to details," Ewing’s statement said. 

State Sen. Dunixi Guereca of Omaha said he was working to assess the size of the raids and putting together resources and information for affected family members. He said the raids were sowing fear and confusion in the south Omaha district he represents, where there is a significant Latino population. 

“You walk down top 24th Street right now, and it's basically empty, right? People are scared, and rightfully so,” Guereca said. “You know, and it's affecting business. Small-business owners, right? Can't, can't do business if people aren't coming, if people are too afraid to leave their own homes.”

He also said he had heard that a couple of large employers with significant Latino workforces had shut down and let workers go home for the day, “just out of abundance of caution.”

At the Nebraska Commission on Latino Americans, executive director Maria Arriaga said there has been an outpouring of messages of people wanting to know how they can help. While they aren’t shocked, she said, it’s been “heartbreaking” to see the community’s fear. 

"We are in the first phase of this emergency response, which is already kind of structured in different areas,” Arriaga said. “So the second phase that it's going to be is going to be a little bit more broad. So obviously we're going to need volunteers and more people involved."

Ben Salazar, a longtime Omaha Latino activist, said it pained him to see the raid happen, “but yet we kind of expected that it would someday.”

"All we can do is what we've been doing for years, which is assisting and advocating and counseling and advising our community members, which is what everybody here on the street was scrambling to do," he said.

Hundreds gather for protest

Within hours of the raid, a protest was organized to support the people detained and Omaha's Latino community.

Hundreds of people gathered on both sides of L Street along 32nd Street, near multiple large meatpacking plants, at 4 p.m. An hour in to the protest, there were at least 400 people holding signs and chanting.

Dayanara Lopez-Cruz stood with a group of friends on the south side of L Street. She, like many of the protesters, said she found out about the raid on Facebook. Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, Lopez-Cruz said Omaha's diversity is a large part of its strength.

"My parents are from different countries," Lopez-Cruz said. "They fought for my life. When you see a crack in your community, you have to use your voice for it."

Diane Sutko, a member of pro-immigrant group Omaha Welcomes the Stranger, said she was shocked when she heard about the raid.

"We should have been expecting it, but it still was a shock," she said. "I'm friends with three families from Venezuela, and they've done everything right. They've got work permits. They've all got jobs, they're all wonderful people. I am so fearful for them."

There was not a visible police presence at the protest.