Omaha, NE (June 12, 2025) — More than 70 undocumented immigrants were detained Wednesday during a large-scale federal immigration raid at a meat-processing facility in Omaha, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials claiming that one suspect assaulted agents and brandished a weapon during the operation.
According to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the individual — a Honduran national — allegedly attacked federal officers executing a warrant at the plant, which is operated by Glenn Valley Foods.
“This wasn’t just someone ‘out of status.’ This was a violent criminal who attacked law enforcement,” said ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons. “When you break the law by coming here illegally and then threaten and assault federal officers — you’re a threat, plain and simple.”
Charges and Enforcement
ICE said some of the detained individuals had prior deportations, local arrest warrants, or DUI convictions. Many now face additional federal charges including:
- Assaulting a federal officer
- Illegal reentry
- Fraud and misuse of documents
- Misuse of Social Security numbers
- Resisting arrest
Officials did not provide detailed accounts of the alleged assaults but confirmed that protestors outside the plant hurled rocks and jumped onto ICE vehicles as agents attempted to transport detainees from the facility.
Employer Reaction and E-Verify Concerns
Glenn Valley Foods President Chad Hartmann said he was caught off guard by the operation and noted that the company uses E-Verify, a government-run system intended to confirm the immigration status of workers.
“Why us? We do everything by the book,” Hartmann told the Associated Press. “They [ICE agents] told me the E-Verify system is broken. If it’s your system, what am I supposed to do?”
Community and Legal Response
Douglas County Commissioner Roger Garcia acknowledged that local leaders and advocacy groups were working to assist affected families. He confirmed that legal aid and safe spaces had been activated and that coordination was ongoing to locate those detained and confirm the number of facilities raided.
“We are still verifying how many were detained, and where they’re being taken,” Garcia wrote on Facebook.
A Broad Federal Operation
The raid involved a broad coalition of agencies, including:
- ICE Homeland Security Investigations
- DHS Office of Inspector General
- FBI
- U.S. Marshals Service
- DEA
- ATF
- DOJ
- IRS Criminal Investigation
- Nebraska State Patrol
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Nebraska DMV Fraud Unit
The operation comes amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement under the current administration, especially in light of recent incidents involving alleged mistreatment of detainees and clashes with local jurisdictions over immigration policy.
ICE officials, meanwhile, defended their actions.
“These men and women swore an oath to uphold the law,” said ICE’s Kansas City Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Mark Zito. “They shouldn’t have to fear the very people they are sworn to protect.”
Further legal developments and community responses are expected in the coming days.
