Federal officials arrest four protesters of immigration raid in Omaha

OMAHA — Federal authorities on Friday announced the arrests Thursday of four protesters outside of an Omaha immigration raid conducted earlier this week, alleging that the four were “aggressive” and captured on video damaging federal property and threatening to assault law officers in relation to the raid at Glenn Valley Foods.

The statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement provided no names. It said the protesters arrested are expected to face felony charges of “assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating or interfering with a federal officer while engaged in the performance of their official duties, as well as damaging government property.”

Video of a few people throwing rocks and others blocking law enforcement cars at the Tuesday raid site were widely circulated on social media.

“Many of these protesters claim to be fighting for justice, but instead they damaged property, threatened federal officers and agents and attempted to obstruct a lawful operation aimed at arresting individuals who exploited stolen identities to work illegally,” Todd Lyons, acting ICE Director, said in a statement.

Federal immigration raid hits Omaha plant

During the enforcement operation at Glenn Valley, immigration agents detained nearly 80 workers. It was the largest immigration enforcement operation in Nebraska since President Donald Trump took office with a pledge to carry out massive deportations.

Of the workers detained, ICE has said some had active local warrants, prior DUI convictions or had been previously deported. The agency said in a statement that many may now face additional federal charges: fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents; assaulting a federal officer; resisting arrest; illegal reentry; and/or misuse of Social Security numbers.

The investigation was conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations, with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and a fraud unit from the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles.

“Peaceful protest is a right protected under the Constitution, and our agents are proud to defend that right every day,” said Mark Zito, Special Agent in Charge of ICE HSI Kansas City, which covers Omaha. “But threats, violence and property damage by criminal actors claiming some kind of vigilante justice will not be tolerated.”