Quality Pork Processors Inc.

Thursday, January 13, 2000

Quality Pork Processors Inc. in Austin has been issued a warning by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The warning came Tuesday, according to Curtis J. Aljets of the St. Paul district INS office.

"The warning notice was issued for paper work violations on Form I-9, Employment Verification Form," Aljets said in a news release. "INS will follow up on the notice to ensure the company makes the necessary corrections."

According to Aljets, a warning notice is the "lowest level of penalty" used when sanctioning an employer.

"No substantive violations were uncovered in the audit at Quality Pork," Aljets said. "The errors were not considered serious enough to warrant a fine, which is the higher level of sanctioning employers when substantive violations are found."

The INS initiated an audit of QPP’s work force in Austin after the presence of illegal immigrants at the Austin-based cut-and-kill meatpacking facility after a homicide in July 1999.

Both the victim and the suspect in the stabbing death were identified as employees of QPP who were in America illegally.

Thereafter, other verifications of illegal aliens, who came to Austin to work at QPP, also were made.

QPP leased the former Hormel Foods Corp. cut-and-kill facilities from Hormel after the Austin-based meat and food processor closed its slaughter plant. QPP is the city’s and area’s second largest employer.

Attempts to reach Quality Pork Processors officials were unsuccessful.