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Tyson joins federal immigration program

By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Tyson Foods, Inc. took a major step Thursday in ensuring employees are legally authorized to work in the United States.

Tyson is the first major food company to become a full member of the IMAGE program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

IMAGE is short for ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers. The program enables businesses, if they meet the standards, to voluntarily partner with the federal government to ensure they are employing legal workers.

“We believe our participation confirms to our customers, plant communities and others that Tyson uses best hiring practices to maintain a lawful workforce,” said Tyson Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Ken Kimbro at a signing ceremony in Washington Thursday. “We also believe this partnership will enhance our ability to collaborate with government officials on immigration-related matters.”

Tyson is one of the world’s largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef and pork. The company employs almost 100,000 people at locations throughout the United States, including a plant in Emporia.

To become certified, the company made all of its employment eligibility documents available for ICE review, cooperated with government field audits of selected plant locations and also allowed ICE to check the Social Security numbers of all company employees.

“ICE’s collaboration with Tyson Foods illustrates this administration’s commitment to working with industry to encourage a culture of compliance with U.S. employment laws,” said ICE Director John Morton in a news release.

Since 1998 Tyson has voluntarily participated in the online government employment verification program known as E-Verify. The company also voluntarily uses the ‘Social Security Number Verification System,’ an online service that allows employers to verify the names and Social Security numbers of employees against Social Security Administration records.

“We use all available tools provided by the U.S. government to verify the documents of the people we hire,” Kimbro said. “We also go beyond government-provided tools in our verification efforts. In fact, we’ve spent millions of dollars over the years on such things as training, computer systems and help from outside consultants to make sure we’re employing people who are authorized to work in our country.”

Comments

Buffalo_Breath (anonymous) says...

A little late to that dance, eh Tyson?

I can't imagine any more than a wink and a nod happening.

January 22, 2011 at 12:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

I'm with you, Buffalo.

Tell us about those white vans that brought your workers to Emporia from the border over the years, Tyson.

January 22, 2011 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

newme314 (anonymous) says...

there will always be around this issue,,,i will almost bet that they have a seperate file for the non legals,,i mean why not they can get away with paying less and get the same amount of work out of the ones who swim across the rio grande. and the funny thing is they dont complain for fear of being deported. I say close the borders that way there is no wasting of this money on training and such either by tyson or the government.

January 22, 2011 at 2:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

REWBA (anonymous) says...

All my illegal acquaintances quit Tyson and went to work for U.S. Stone.

January 22, 2011 at 2:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Now, don' t get all upset REWBA, but it makes no difference where or who the illegals you know/knew go to work for in the U.S. ! The truth is, they are still " Illegal ", even if they go to work for the U.S. government, and there are plenty of them that do that also or work for government officials officials !!

January 22, 2011 at 2:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

b3bill (anonymous) says...

A chance of illegals at Tyson?? Really????

January 22, 2011 at 3:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

goodoleboy (anonymous) says...

Will there be another protest?

January 22, 2011 at 4:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T74VA3...

January 22, 2011 at 5:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

mok (anonymous) says...

Maybe some of these can help with the landscaping around the entrance stones.

January 22, 2011 at 5:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Asemporiaturns (anonymous) says...

It is about time. All companies need to do this And when they find there is ilegal people working they need to fine the compies and then make the ilegal's do time before they take them back. If they jailed them for a while first maybe they would get the hint that there not wanted here. Why don't they think they need to get the proper papers?

January 22, 2011 at 8:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...

The economy is so bad a lot of them are going home.

January 22, 2011 at 9:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...

THE STONES ARE A BRAINCHILD OF THE cHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

January 22, 2011 at 9:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

shootthis (anonymous) says...

Sorry everyone on here but i am a Tyson inc. manager and i will tell you that out of the 100% hispanics that work here 10% are legal the rest are illegal but you know why we keep them, it simple they dont claim taxes like the rest of us giving the government that money to put in their pockets now where does this money go that the government keeps just ask them what pays for the cocaine that they use or the other drugs they use i also know that the majority of MY Tyson workers are addicted to some sort of drug the managers go in the bathrooms to buy from our own employees!!!!!

January 23, 2011 at 9:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

karma (anonymous) says...

Shoothis: 10% are legal? I dont know if you are getting your figures from 10 years ago but I will highly doubt that this is the case now. Perhaps you need to do your reseach again and ask them personally what their status is considering your comfortable enough with them to sit around and have them do their business in your own workplace. Why has this not been reported? You wouldn't happen to be one of THOSE managers, would you?

January 23, 2011 at 10:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Oh baloney, shootthis. You are a troublemaker. If they are getting a paycheck, then they have taxes deducted from their paychecks just like the rest of us.

So do they get any of those taxes back? Who knows. They would have to file a tax return for that to happen. You gotta have a social security number for that too.

Are you one of those managers buying drugs from them too?

January 23, 2011 at 10:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

REWBA (anonymous) says...

Downtown on Commercial south of the track,
sits an "import" business with doors front and back. They will cash any paycheck no papers required, get time on a cell phone and remittances wired. Anything goes for a transaction fee, they don't give a $#!+ about the land of the free.

January 23, 2011 at 2:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Wichitawings (anonymous) says...

Shootthis--you are so full of s*^t that I don't even believe you know how to get to the parking lot at tyson. I'm not a tyson fan but hate when people like you lie like that.

January 23, 2011 at 3:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

wirewatt (Ken Bazil) says...

The only taxes they pay is SS and medicare that is taken out of their checks. They claim enough dependents to get by income tax, they will never catch them because they don't file. Most of them have four or five names and don't use all of them.

January 23, 2011 at 7:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

b3bill (anonymous) says...

Using made up names and having a high number of dependents, not filing taxes, etc. to avoid paying income tax?? Right here in Emporia??? Who'da thunk.

January 23, 2011 at 9:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justaflushaway (anonymous) says...

nothing has changed at tyson regarding the illigals, they still recuit them from elpaso & larado, This crap about them getting right with the paper work is just blowing smoke up the goverments a$$, that way the goverment wont brother them tyson for a few years and they can move a lot of beef chicken and pigs during that time in all of their plants CHEAP LABOR, PROVIDE HOUSING, PROVIDE MEALS, AND ALL OF THIS IS DEDUCTED FROM THEIR PAY CHECK EACH WEEK, NOTHING HAS CHANGED, they just want the public and authorities to beleive it.

January 23, 2011 at 11:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...

The KB THOMAS JR REPORT 23 January 2011. Emporia may soon be called the Corn Beef capital of the World. A lot of people don't know this but Tyson is producing a bone in filet mignon that sells to 5 star resturants back east. The retail price is 30 to 40 dollars. The local Real Estate Market is doing remarkably well compared to other area's in the country where prices have fallen as much as 50%. Thomas Frank in his book about "What's the Matter with Kansas" says on page one that the great plains states are the poorest in the nation and the Farmers are struggling and today the farmers are getting record prices and our Real Estate markets are somewhat stable compared to the rest ofthe nation.

January 23, 2011 at 11:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

emporia_student (anonymous) says...

wow..such a low..still. there is always illegal everywhere not jux in emporia..aren't we all illegals???..we making a big deal out of this..

January 24, 2011 at 9:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

b3bill (anonymous) says...

emporia_student,

It is a big deal. Everyone needs to pay the taxes they are obligated to, such as income taxes.

We have laws in the USA regarding work permits, green cards, provisions for obtaining citizenship, etc that are not being followed, including right here in Emporia. It is high time that is fixed. One place to start is Tyson.

January 24, 2011 at 9:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

shootthis, when you typed your comment you were either, drunk or high on the drugs the illegals provide you or you are an illegal yourself !

emporia_student, No, we are not all illegals, there are some of us that do have Native American ancestors and lineage !

January 24, 2011 at 10:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )