ICE rounds up busload of workers from Omaha meatpacking plant (2025)

Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided an Omaha meatpacking plant Tuesday morning, transporting a busload of workers from the plant to an unknown destination.

Officials with ICE said in a statement that the agency executed a search warrant at Glenn Valley Foods "based on an ongoing criminal investigation into the large-scale employment of aliens without authorization to work in the United States." No other businesses were targeted, ICE said.

The ICE statement said the operation was likely the largest to take place in Nebraska since the current Trump administration took office.

Gary Rohwer, the CEO of Glenn Valley Foods, said that ICE showed up at 9 a.m. with a list of the names of 97 people they wanted to screen.

A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said in a statement late Tuesday that the operation resulted in the arrest of 76 undocumented individuals. During the operation, an undocumented individual from Honduras threatened federal agents with a box cutter, but no ICE law enforcement officers were injured.

Early reports of the ICE raid included claims that the operation was targeting food processing plants across Omaha. The scope of the raid became clear by Tuesday afternoon.

Raids initially were reported by advocates and a county official at Glenn Valley Foods, 6824 J St., and multiple other locations. But reports of raids at JBS Beef Plant, 3435 Edward "Babe" Gomez Ave., Tyson Foods, 13076 Renfro Circle and other locations were later corrected by officials and the businesses.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., confirmed later Tuesday that Glenn Valley was the only facility involved in the operation. The warrant, according to his statement, was in relation to stolen identities. ICE, he said, verified that Glenn Valley complied fully with E-verify and "is a victim in this as well."

People who may have family members who have been detained can call ICE at 402-536-4861. Those with questions and concerns can call ICE's toll-free number, 1-888-351-4024.

The raid comes as tensions continue to build over immigration enforcement and responses in Los Angeles, where people protesting immigration raids have clashed with law enforcement. President Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops and U.S. Marines.

Late Tuesday, Metropolitan Community College and the Omaha Public Library posted that facilities in the area would be closed after 3 p.m. "due to public safety concerns in the area." Those facilities include Metro's South Omaha Campus and South Omaha Express and the South Omaha Library.

By early Tuesday evening, more than 200 people protesting the action had gathered near 33rd and L Streets, with many motorists honking their horns in support.

Omaha Mayor John Ewing said Tuesday afternoon that his office was still trying to understandthe scope of the federal action but that it had been made aware that something was coming.

Douglas County Board member Roger Garcia left the regular Tuesday morning board meeting, saying multiple raids were being conducted. He wanted to be with members of the community he represents, said Leia Baez, the county’s communications director.

Garcia told board members that ICE "was terrorizing his community," she said.

Garcia, whose district includes South Omaha, went to the JBS Beef Plant after hearing reports of the raids. He said that he was still trying to find out how many workers may have been detained by ICE and where they were being sent.

“We want to be able to help individuals who've been detained with legal representation, but also the families affected from today's raid,” Garcia said. "There are bound to be children. They’re bound to be parents. They’re bound to be spouses, they’re bound to be husbands and wives, and so there's gonna be a lot of hurt in this community today, and we’re going to try and help them as much as we can.”

Garcia said he had a message for the federal government about the chaos caused by the raids.

“This does nothing to improve society, causing chaos and traumatizing families and children, does nothing to improve our society. These are hardworking people at JBS, at Glenn Valley, at LALA. They're trying to provide for their families and improve the next generation's future, and they're not causing any harm, but here we are harming them with these raids today."

Garcia later reported on Facebook thatJBS wasn't raided but had an unrelated evacuation, per management and union.

A spokesman for LALA Branded Products later Tuesday confirmed that LALA was not one of the companies subject to the immigration action.

Sarah Keeney,the lead organizer for Omaha Together One Community, an advocacy organization that supports immigration rights, said the organization had confirmed that ICE personnel were present at four food packaging locations. She said OTOC has also been told that ICE is going to the sites with lists of names of individuals they are looking for.

Later, however, she said that the only verified presence of ICE was at Glenn Valley Foods and that the organization had begun to receive conflicting reports about the agency's activities.

The Omaha Police Department was aware of ICE operations taking place in the city, a spokesperson said.

"The Department of Homeland Security recently notified OPD of the operations and OPD officers responded to the areas for traffic control," Lt. Neal Bonacci said. "Federal authorities are responsible for immigration enforcement. OPD's role is only assisting with traffic control and public safety in the areas near the operations."

A World-Herald photojournalist reported seeing a white coach bus, two Omaha Fire Department ambulances, two Omaha police cruisers and four Douglas County Sheriff's Office cruisers at Glenn Valley Foods. He also reported seeing at least five people escorted to the bus.

Shortly after 1 p.m., a World-Herald reporter witnessed the white coach bus and other vehicles leaving the plant. Some of those gathered at the scene screamed at the bus. A few stepped in front of it but moved aside as it kept rolling.

Jorge Espejel, head of the Consulate of Mexico in Omaha, was among those waiting outside the Glenn Valley plant Tuesday morning. He said ICE officials had promised to speak to consulate staff. They waited two hours, but ICE officials did not contact them. They planned to follow them to the agency's facility.

Worried family members gathered outside the Homeland Security Department's facility on Avenue H later Tuesday afternoon.

One young man said his father had been picked up in the raid at Glenn Valley. The young man, who declined to give his name, said he was waiting to hear about his father.

A frustrated Erick Perez had gone to the facility to check on his brother-in-law. He said he was given no information and therefore couldn't contact an attorney for help. He said family members weren't allowed to go inside and were told only that someone would call them. But he questioned how anyone could call him without having his contact information. He compared the situation to a kidnapping.

Earlier Tuesday, people gathered at Glenn Valley and other plants where raids initially were thought to be occurring.

Molli Surdell went to the JBS Beef Plant after hearing reports of ICE raids.

“I am here to stand with this community and say they are important members of our nation, important members of our Omaha community and I care about them,” she said.

Outside Glenn Valley Foods, Saul Lopez of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said he is concerned that no translators or non-governmental representatives were present.

“We want to make sure they have rights," he said. "We are very concerned they are not being treated as normal human beings at this point."

Sonia Cabrera spoke to her sister-in-law, Guadelupe Cabrera, on the phone while Guadalupe was aboard a bus transporting her from Glenn Valley. Sonia Cabrera said she and Guadalupe's nieces were worried because Guadelupe, who doesn’t speak English, was unable to understand the officials giving her instructions. Guadelupe’s family said she was instructed to sign something in English without a translator — her family instructed her not to sign.

Sonia Cabrera said neither Guadelupe nor her family members were told where the bus was going.

Some of the people at the scene had tears in their eyes as they walked away. People were being allowed to leave the plant, they said, after showing their immigration papers.

"These are hard working people here to better their lives," Gloria Vallecillo said while standing outside the plant. "They are deporting people who are working."

Ewing, in his statement, said Omaha police asked for coordination from Homeland Security after ICE agents recent arrest of a server at a busy west Omaha brunch spot. Both Ewing, then mayor-elect, and Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said they were not given advance notice of that incident.

Ewing noted that events like Tuesday's cause fear in the community. "We do not want people to be so afraid they stop reporting crimes," he said. Omaha police will respond to 911 calls and not ask about legal status.

Advocates urged family members who have been affected by the raid to contact the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement at 4223 Center St. or the Heartland Worker Center at 4923 S. 24th St.

World-Herald staff writer Henry J. Cordes and photojournalist Nikos Frazier contributed to this report.