page_title: Swift raids
section_title: Long-term detention and deportation
hierarchical_section_title: Swift raids / Long-term detention and deportation
caption_attribution_description: English: ICE detention facility in Karnes County
context_page_description: The 2006 Swift raids were a coordinated effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain and deport people who are undocumented.
  On Tuesday, December 12, 2006, ICE raided six Swift & Company meatpacking plants in the midwestern United States. Workers were detained in central areas of these plants, where they were searched and interrogated. About 1,300 workers, accused of immigration violations and identity theft, were arrested and bused to detention facilities; most were deported.
  ICE's "Operation Wagon Train", which culminated in the Swift raids, represented a new stage of immigration enforcement. The operation marked the beginning of increased workplace actions, as well as the special targeting of illegal immigrants who were also accused of crimes. It was the largest workplace immigration raid in U.S. history.
context_section_description: ICE police arrested 1,297 workers and sent them on buses to federal detention centers. Arrestees were moved often, and many were quickly transported outside of their home state. The Denver Federal Center was a common early destination. Subsequent prison sites included the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado, the Otero County Detention Center in New Mexico, and Camp Dodge in Iowa. Two ministers who tried to visit detainees at Camp Dodge were unable to gain access.
  Some of the few who were later able to testify complained of further degrading treatment, unsanitary food, denial of hygiene, and isolation from friends, family, and lawyers. Myers disputed the severity of the detention and wrote that the detainees had access to lawyers.
  Most of those arrested were deported. While in detention facilities, many signed papers agreeing to voluntary deportation with no appeal. Most did not have access to telephones, lawyers, or the Consulate of their destination before they made this decision. Many of those who did not agree to voluntary deportation were detained for months longer. Some who were ultimately able to prove legal residency were held for weeks in detention facilities out of state.
  Approximately 240 of the 1,297 arrested were ultimately charged with crimes (in addition to administrative immigration violations). About 65 were charged with identity theft.
  The raid broke up couples and families.  Many children were separated from their fathers; some lost both parents and had to find new places to live. Some local school systems took responsibility for supervising these children immediately after the raid; however, many children returned home from school to find their parents missing. Many people including children went into hiding, fearing that they would also be deported.
caption: ICE jail in Karnes County, TX
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