One year ago, immigration agents raided a Salem meat processing facility and arrested more than 140 undocumented immigrants. In this installment of “OH Really,” a listener asks for an update.
Debbie Toder from West Akron said she felt terrible when she heard about the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raids at the FreshMark facility.
“I was wondering what happened to the workers and their families and communities that were affected by the ICE raids this past summer,” she said.
According to Sister Rene Weeks, director of the Hispanic ministry at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Salem, since the raids many single men seem to have moved away, while others with families have found different types of work.
“Well, I think some people were afraid to go back to Fresh Mark. And that led them to seek out other places," she said. "There’s always been some who worked on farms. Some of the farm work is seasonal, and some of it is year-round. I think there’s been a bit more movement in that direction.”
Weeks adds that the raids also spurred many undocumented immigrants to get temporary work authorizations.
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