Tyson Foods, the giant meat producer and major Missouri employer, was charged this week in a federal indictment with smuggling illegal immigrants from Mexico to work in their Midwestern plants. If the charges are proven true, Tyson should face a fine unparalleled in American history. And those involved in the illegal scheme should spend time in jail.
The meat producing industry has become a haven for Hispanic workers. That is perfectly acceptable. These hard-working, industrious employees add much to the economy and they also improve their standard of living as well. That, in a nutshell, is the American way.
But when Tyson - or anyone else - schemes to smuggle illegal immigrants to fill their workforce, the line has been crossed.
The meat producing industry is not pretty work. It is back-breaking, dirty work and the pay level will not make the workers rich. Many within that industry have found troubles filling the workforce with the available unemployed population in this country. And thus, the explosion of Hispanic workers who do an excellent job. But there is a difference and a distinction between hiring those eligible workers and concocting a plan to smuggle illegals in to do that work.
Of course, Tyson denies the charges and says only a handful of renegade managers conspired to undertake the illegal operation. That argument falls woefully short of acceptable and believable. At the core of this evil is money. Tyson makes bundles of money and they need a ready workforce to keep their operations sound. I assume their choice is then to either increase their pay scale to attract workers or to import illegal workers to fill those positions. In this case, they apparently chose the wrong solution.
This case will likely meander through the courts for some time. But we can only hope that in the end, if found guilty, Tyson pays a penalty appropriate for this crime. If money is the only thing they understand, then money they should pay.