West Liberty Foods completes immigration certification program

A West Liberty-based meat processing company has become the first in Iowa certified in a voluntary federal immigration program to combat fraudulent use of identity documents and hiring of illegal immigrants.

West Liberty Foods LLC was certified as a partner with United States Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) in the agency's IMAGE program during a ceremony Tuesday in Washington.

IMAGE stands for ICE Mutual Agreement Between Government and Employers. It requires employers to undergo an ICE audit to verify eligibility of their entire work force via the I-9 employment verification form process.

The program also requires employers to provide extra training to their staff on employment practices, to enroll in ICE's Social Security Number Verification Service and E-Verify programs, and to conduct self-assessments of their hiring practices.

West Liberty Foods employs 1,871 people, with the biggest concentration, 847, in West Liberty. The other employee groups are almost evenly split between Tremonton, Utah, and Mount Pleasant.

Dan Waters, vice president and general counsel for the company, said 47 employees voluntarily resigned as a result of irregularities. He did not believe any of the employees who resigned were arrested or deported by ICE. West Liberty Foods was not fined or penalized due to the findings.

The company decided to put itself at risk of such discoveries voluntarily because “our philosophy is to set the gold standard in the industry,” Waters said.

Mike Feinberg, ICE Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, said West Liberty Foods is “among the early adopters qualifying for the IMAGE certified status.” He said the agency is pleased West Liberty Foods took the lead in participating.

“Doing so puts them in select company enhancing the reputation of their company and brand,” Feinberg said.

The process took about three years for West Liberty Foods to complete, Waters said. One reason was that ICE staff are spread thin between administering the program and enforcement actions, Waters said.