The owner of a slaughterhouse in Grainger County is facing over $40,000 in fines after forcing undocumented immigrants to do their jobs in unsafe and dirty working conditions. Last week, James Brantley agreed to plead guilty on federal charges of hiring undocumented immigrants, and tax evasion. The deal comes four months after the April raid on the Southeastern Provision meatpacking plant, on Helton Road in Bean Station, by agents of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
97 undocumented immigrants, mainly from Guatemala and Mexico, were found at the plant. Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors then visited the plant and found no less than 27 violations, 23 of which were judged to be serious, TOSHA records have revealed.
The violations include failing to provide safety gloves and glasses, unsafe handling and storage of chemicals, failing to provide first aid, poor sanitation, a dearth of safety training, no hearing protection, no record of workplace injuries, and no separate restroom for female employees. Immigrant advocates have praised the fines, calling them a welcome change.
The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Resource Coalition co-director, Stephanie Teatro, says that meatpacking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, but Brantley put the safety, health, and lives of immigrant employees at risk by failing to offer even basic protections. Teatro added that the threat of deportation by the government makes undocumented immigrant workers wary of reporting dangerous working conditions.