Operation Set for Feb. 24 Start

Department of Homeland Security planners have finalized a 30-day worksite enforcement operation targeting meatpacking plants, poultry processors, and construction subcontractors across six states, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents expected to begin arrests on Feb. 24, according to two Labor Department economists familiar with the planning.

The operation, referred to internally as "Safe Worksite 26," will focus on facilities in Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina, the economists said. ICE tactical teams are expected to serve administrative warrants at roughly 45 work sites during the first week, with the heaviest concentration in meatpacking corridors along Interstate 80 in Nebraska and Iowa and along Interstate 85 in Georgia and the Carolinas.

The enforcement push represents the most significant expansion of workplace immigration operations since the administration took office in January 2025. Two ICE officials confirmed that the agency has shifted approximately 400 additional agents from residential enforcement to worksite teams for the operation, with staging areas at federal facilities in Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Little Rock, Arkansas; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Hotels housing out-of-town agents include Hampton Inn properties in Waterloo, Iowa, and Grand Island, Nebraska, along with a Courtyard by Marriott in Gainesville, Georgia, according to one of the Labor Department economists, who was briefed on the logistics. The economist spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans are not yet public.

Specific facilities on the preliminary target list include a Tyson Foods beef plant in Waterloo, Iowa; a JBS USA pork plant in Grand Island, Nebraska; a Pilgrim's Pride poultry plant in Canton, Georgia; and a Sanderson Farms processing facility in Laurel, Mississippi, the economists said. Each of the four plants employs more than 1,000 production workers, according to company filings and local economic development records.

Labor Market Projections

Two Labor Department economists who reviewed preliminary enforcement projections said the operation could remove between 2,800 and 4,200 workers from affected plants during its first two weeks. The economists said the targeted facilities employ undocumented workers at rates ranging from 18 percent to 31 percent of their production workforces.

The economists, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the estimates, projected that meatpacking and poultry processing plants in the targeted states could lose 12 to 18 percent of their hourly production staff if the operation proceeds as planned. Replacement hiring at current wage rates could take 10 to 14 weeks in rural labor markets, they said.

"Plants in the target zone are already operating with vacancy rates above the national average," one economist said. "A sudden drawdown of this size would force immediate overtime, production slowdowns, or temporary line closures."

The second economist said average hourly wages for slaughter and processing jobs in the six states could rise by $2.50 to $4.00 per hour within 60 days as employers compete for a smaller labor pool. The economist noted that the department's internal models show chicken processing costs increasing by 6 to 9 cents per pound at affected facilities, with pork processing costs rising by 8 to 12 cents per pound.

A trade association official who represents poultry processors said members had received no formal notice from ICE as of Feb. 14. The official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations, said processors in Georgia and Mississippi had begun contingency planning after informal warnings from local ICE field offices. The official said at least three plants had suspended weekend overtime and shifted some production to facilities in Alabama and Tennessee.

The official said the National Chicken Council sent a memo to members on Feb. 12 advising them to review I-9 forms and suspend any hiring of workers without valid employment authorization documents. The memo did not name the operation but warned of "heightened federal enforcement activity in the Southeast during the final week of February," the official said.

Employer Anxiety and Next Steps

Javier Rios, owner of Rios Poultry Services, a 28-employee contracting firm that cleans processing equipment at plants in Hall County, Georgia, said he learned of the planned enforcement activity on Feb. 13 from a plant manager at a Pilgrim's Pride facility in Canton, Georgia. Rios said he immediately checked the work authorization documents for his entire crew and canceled a planned hiring trip to Dalton, Georgia.

"We have contracts at three plants that are on the list," Rios said. "If they shut down a line for even three days, we don't get paid. My guys are legal, but the plants won't risk keeping any contractor on site during a raid."

Rios said he pays his workers between $17.50 and $22.00 per hour and expects competitors to raise wages by at least $3.00 per hour if the operation proceeds. He said his firm cleans equipment at plants operated by Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's Pride, and a regional processor in Cumming, Georgia.

ICE did not respond to requests for comment on Feb. 15 or Feb. 16. A DHS spokesperson declined to confirm or deny operational planning, citing law enforcement sensitivity.

The economists said DHS expects to brief senior congressional staff on the operation on Feb. 18, one day after the administration's deadline for agencies to submit midyear enforcement reports. Three congressional aides briefed on the planning said the House Homeland Security Committee has requested a closed-door briefing for Feb. 20.

Major outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters, and the Wall Street Journal had not confirmed the operation as of Monday evening. Watch for official ICE announcements, local law enforcement coordination notices, and cancellation of shifts at target plants beginning Feb. 23.