Vol. 72/No. 38      September 29, 2008

Pereyra-Gabino’s arrest came several months after the Dec. 12, 2006, raid on six Swift plants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Nearly 1,300 workers were arrested.

Pereyra-Gabino was arrested July 10, 2007, when ICE conducted a second raid of Swift and arrested 25 people. ICE spokesman Tim Counts called these raids “a continuation of the same investigation” that resulted in the December 2006 arrests. “Then we were serving federal search warrants that permitted us to go into these plants and question every employee,” he said. “In this case, we were looking for specific individuals—a much more focused and highly targeted operation.”

In an interview with the Militant, Pereyra-Gabino said his job “was to give union orientation to recently hired Hispanic workers. My job was to build the union. If a worker had a problem, I would refer them to an attorney.”

“If I see someone drowning, I’ll help him,” he added. “I don’t say show me your green card before I will help.”

Originally from Argentina, Pereyra-Gabino has lived in the United States more than 40 years and has worked at Swift for the past 12. After his arrest he was suspended and then fired from his union post. The UFCW sent him a certified letter informing him that he would not receive union assistance for his legal case. “I feel like I have been stabbed in the back,” he said.

The day of his arrest, the national UFCW issued a press release that said, “It does not appear that ICE engaged in the same level of intimidation and overkill as they did in its raids last December … to the extent this is the case, the UFCW supports law enforcement efforts that abide by the law and respect the rights of workers.”

Chris Lamb, assistant director of Human Resources at the Marshalltown plant, was also arrested in the July 10 raid. He pleaded guilty to “harboring illegal aliens” and was sentenced to one year probation. As part of a plea bargain, Lamb signed an agreement that requires him “to fully cooperate with the government in its investigation.”

A federal jury convicted Pereyra-Gabino last May. It acquitted him of the charges of false representation of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft.

It will be several months before Pereyra-Gabino’s appeal is heard in court. In the meantime, he continues to work at Swift.  
 
 
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