Tyson Foods is denying claims it is replacing American citizen workers with illegal immigrants. The meat and poultry manufacturer and processor claimed information stating otherwise is false.
“In recent days, there has been a lot of misinformation in the media about our company, and we feel compelled to set the record straight,” Tyson said in a statement. “Any insinuation that we would cut American jobs to hire immigrant workers is completely false.”
Tyson has several manufacturing plants and processing plants in Alabama. Dozens of Alabama families contract with Tyson and raise chickens for the company.
Allegations in recent news articles were not made at the Alabama locations but were noted in multiple states, including Tennessee and Iowa. One article even quotes a Tyson human resources specialist about how loyal and appreciative its asylum-seeking employees are for their jobs.
After investment groups began pulling holdings of Tyson Foods, the company released a statement claiming it does not support illegal immigration.
“Tyson Foods is strongly opposed to illegal immigration, and we led the way in participating in the two major government programs to help employers combat unlawful employment, E-Verify and the Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) program,” Tyson claimed. “Since being founded in 1935 in Arkansas, Tyson Foods has created jobs and employed millions of people in states all across America, the majority of whom are American citizens. Today, Tyson Foods employs 120,000 team members in the United States, all of whom are required to be legally authorized to work in this country. We have a history of strong hiring practices, and anybody who is legally able is welcome to apply to open job listings.”
Still. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) says the thought of Tyson hiring illegal immigrants is “embarrassing.”
“At the end of the day, they're doing it for their bottom line,” he said. “They're doing it to make more money. I would say that Tyson Foods has been very productive and been very profitable over the years, and we want to make sure that this is done by American people American employees and I hope they would think about this before they continue to go this route.”
“Don't make us do some kind of legislation where we block that,” Tuberville continued. “But again, it just makes no sense of what Tyson Foods is trying to prove.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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