Latest news with #GaryRohwer
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ICE raids are making CEO focus on employees even more important
In today's CEO Daily: Diane Brady on the impact of ICE raids on CEOs. The big story: Israel attacks Iran and oil surges. The markets: Down on Middle East fight. Analyst notes from Convera, UBS, and Deutsche Bank. Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune. Good morning. I spoke with a C-suite leader of a large retailer this week who shook his head when I asked about the ICE raids and protests. 'I understand and support our laws,' he said. 'What I don't understand is why we have to be so vindictive and cruel in applying them.' Therein lies the challenge for CEOs in speaking up right now as some fear that seemingly innocuous statements might put a target on their backs. We do hear from those who are already wounded, like Gary Rohwer of Glenn Valley Foods whose plant is operating at 30% capacity after federal immigration officials arrested half his workforce, despite him clearing them through the government's own E-verify system. Even those who haven't been raided may be feeling an impact from the crackdowns. More than a million foreign-born workers have dropped out of the labor force since March, according to the St. Louis Fed. One leader in the construction sector told me that one of his workers quit because they're worried a raid might harm an undocumented sibling who's staying in their home. For Scott Boatwright of Chipotle, whose workforce is 52% Hispanic, the answer has been to focus on his people. As he put it during a recent Leadership Next podcast: 'All of our team members go through the E-verify process. But it's not lost on me that I could have team members within the organization that could have family members that are affected one way or another. I think it's important for us as leaders in the organization to ensure we are connecting with all of our people, and just a mental check-in to say, 'Hey, how are you doing? How can we help? How can we support? I know you may be going through a challenging time.'' More news CEO Daily via Diane Brady at This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Owner of raided Omaha plant says he followed hiring rules
The owner of an Omaha food packaging plant that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided this week said Wednesday that his company relied on the government's web system to verify that his workers were in the country legally. 'We did everything we could possibly do,' Glenn Valley Foods owner Gary Rohwer told The Associated Press. Federal officials arrived at the Nebraska factory on Tuesday to screen nearly 100 people. About 70 employees were taken into custody, as part of President Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown and mass deportation initiative. Glenn Valley Foods is operating at about 30 percent capacity after the raid as the company tries to hire more workers, Rohwer told the AP. Company officials have blamed the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s nationwide E-Verify system, which relies on documents and social security numbers to determine whether potential employees can work in the U.S. legally. 'I'd like to see the United States government … come up with a program that they can communicate to the companies as to how to hire legitimate help. Period,' Rohwer said. The owner explained that federal officials said his company was a victim of unauthorized workers using stolen identities or fake IDs to get around the E-Verify system. Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr., a Democrat who was sworn into office earlier this week, told NewsNation on Wednesday that he didn't know why the Nebraska city was targeted for the large-scale immigration sweep. 'Right now, what is happening across the country is a lot of fear is being created,' Ewing said. 'We don't have an understandable approach to immigration, especially when it comes to our Latino members of this country.' He called on Congress to develop a 'comprehensive immigration policy.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Owner of raided Omaha plant says he followed hiring rules
The owner of an Omaha food packaging plant that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided this week said Wednesday that his company relied on the government's web system to verify that his workers were in the country legally. 'We did everything we could possibly do,' Glenn Valley Foods owner Gary Rohwer told The Associated Press. Federal officials arrived at the Nebraska factory on Tuesday to screen nearly 100 people. About 70 employees were taken into custody, as part of President Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown and mass deportation initiative. Glenn Valley Foods is operating at about 30 percent capacity after the raid as the company tries to hire more workers, Rohwer told the AP. Company officials have blamed the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s nationwide E-Verify system, which relies on documents and social security numbers to determine whether potential employees can work in the U.S. legally. 'I'd like to see the United States government … come up with a program that they can communicate to the companies as to how to hire legitimate help. Period,' Rohwer said. The owner explained that federal officials said his company was a victim of unauthorized workers using stolen identities or fake IDs to get around the E-Verify system. Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr., a Democrat who was sworn into office earlier this week, told NewsNation on Wednesday that he didn't know why the Nebraska city was targeted for the large-scale immigration sweep. 'Right now, what is happening across the country is a lot of fear is being created,' Ewing said. 'We don't have an understandable approach to immigration, especially when it comes to our Latino members of this country.' He called on Congress to develop a 'comprehensive immigration policy.'
2 days ago
- Business
An Omaha food plant owner says he followed the rules for hiring immigrants
OMAHA, Neb. -- The owner of an Omaha food packaging company says his business has been unfairly hamstrung by federal immigration officials, who raided the plant and arrested more than half its workforce. The raid took place despite the company meticulously following the government's own system for verifying the workers were in the country legally, owner Gary Rohwer said Wednesday. Glenn Valley Foods now is operating at about 30% of capacity as the business scrambles to hire more workers, Rohwer said as he stood outside the plant. Asked how upsetting the raid was, Rohwer replied, 'I was very upset, ma'am, because we were told to e-verify, and we e-verified all these years, so I was shocked.' 'We did everything we could possibly do," he said. E-Verify is an online U.S. Department of Homeland Security system launched in the late 1990s that allows employers to quickly check if potential employees can work legally in the U.S., often by using Social Security numbers. Some of America's largest employers use it, including Starbucks and Walmart, but the vast majority of employers do not. Critics say the system is fairly easy to cheat, particularly with false documents. Rohwer noted that federal officials have said his company was a victim of those using stolen identities or fake IDs to get around the E-Verify system, which lead agents conducting the raid described as 'broken' and 'flawed' to Glenn Valley executives. But that does nothing to repair the company's bottom line, Rohwer said. 'I'd like to see the United States government ... come up with a program that they can communicate to the companies as to how to hire legitimate help. Period,' he said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that more than 70 people were arrested during the Glenn Valley Foods raid on Tuesday. It also said one of the workers, described as a Honduras national, assaulted federal agents as he was being detained. The Omaha raid comes amid an immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump. The administration has been intensifying its efforts in recent weeks, and Trump deployed more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines this week to respond to ongoing protests in Los Angeles over his immigration policies. The raid, in the southeastern section of Omaha where nearly a quarter of residents are foreign born according to the 2020 census, led to hundreds of people turning out to protest Tuesday evening. But it also had a chilling effect on the south Omaha community. The Metropolitan Community College's South Omaha campus and an Omaha library branch in the area closed Tuesday afternoon, and several businesses along south Omaha's normally bustling 24th Street closed as news of the raid spread. Several of them remained closed Wednesday, said Douglas County Board of Commissioners Chairman Roger Garcia, whose district covers south Omaha. 'Everybody's still on alert, waiting to see what happens today and in the coming days,' Garcia said. 'So there's still a lot of anxiety and fear out there.' That fear will show up in the form of a weakened economy in Omaha, he added. 'You know, when products are not being sold, taxes are not being collected, and people are not able to get their goods as well. So it affects all of us,' he said. An aunt of Garcia's wife was among those taken away by ICE during the Omaha raid, he said. They have been unable to determine where she is being held. The raid came on the same day of the inauguration of newly elected Omaha Mayor John Ewing, a Democrat who unseated three-term Republican Jean Stothert last month. During a news conference Wednesday to address the raid, Ewing declined to speculate on whether the timing of it was intended to distract from his swearing-in. But he denounced the action by federal authorities, saying, 'My message to the public is that we are with them.' Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer also declared that his department will play no part in checking immigration or the legal status of residents in the community. 'That is not our mission. Our mission is public safety,' the chief said. 'I need victims to come forward. They will not come forward if they're fearful of Omaha Police Department being immigration officers.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
An Omaha food plant owner says he followed the rules for hiring immigrants. It was raided anyway.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The owner of an Omaha food packaging company says his business has been unfairly hamstrung by federal immigration officials, who raided the plant and arrested more than half its workforce. The raid took place despite the company meticulously following the government's own system for verifying the workers were in the country legally, owner Gary Rohwer said Wednesday. Glenn Valley Foods now is operating at about 30% of capacity as the business scrambles to hire more workers, Rohwer said as he stood outside the plant. Asked how upsetting the raid was, Rohwer replied, 'I was very upset, ma'am, because we were told to e-verify, and we e-verified all these years, so I was shocked.' 'We did everything we could possibly do," he said. E-Verify is an online U.S. Department of Homeland Security system launched in the late 1990s that allows employers to quickly check if potential employees can work legally in the U.S., often by using Social Security numbers. Some of America's largest employers use it, including Starbucks and Walmart, but the vast majority of employers do not. Critics say the system is fairly easy to cheat, particularly with false documents. Rohwer noted that federal officials have said his company was a victim of those using stolen identities or fake IDs to get around the E-Verify system, which lead agents conducting the raid described as 'broken' and 'flawed' to Glenn Valley executives. But that does nothing to repair the company's bottom line, Rohwer said. 'I'd like to see the United States government ... come up with a program that they can communicate to the companies as to how to hire legitimate help. Period,' he said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that more than 70 people were arrested during the Glenn Valley Foods raid on Tuesday. It also said one of the workers, described as a Honduras national, assaulted federal agents as he was being detained. The Omaha raid comes amid an immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump. The administration has been intensifying its efforts in recent weeks, and Trump deployed more than 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines this week to respond to ongoing protests in Los Angeles over his immigration policies. The raid, in the southeastern section of Omaha where nearly a quarter of residents are foreign born according to the 2020 census, led to hundreds of people turning out to protest Tuesday evening. But it also had a chilling effect on the south Omaha community. The Metropolitan Community College's South Omaha campus and an Omaha library branch in the area closed Tuesday afternoon, and several businesses along south Omaha's normally bustling 24th Street closed as news of the raid spread. Several of them remained closed Wednesday, said Douglas County Board of Commissioners Chairman Roger Garcia, whose district covers south Omaha. 'Everybody's still on alert, waiting to see what happens today and in the coming days,' Garcia said. 'So there's still a lot of anxiety and fear out there.' That fear will show up in the form of a weakened economy in Omaha, he added. 'You know, when products are not being sold, taxes are not being collected, and people are not able to get their goods as well. So it affects all of us,' he said. An aunt of Garcia's wife was among those taken away by ICE during the Omaha raid, he said. They have been unable to determine where she is being held. The raid came on the same day of the inauguration of newly elected Omaha Mayor John Ewing, a Democrat who unseated three-term Republican Jean Stothert last month. During a news conference Wednesday to address the raid, Ewing declined to speculate on whether the timing of it was intended to distract from his swearing-in. But he denounced the action by federal authorities, saying, 'My message to the public is that we are with them.' Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer also declared that his department will play no part in checking immigration or the legal status of residents in the community. 'That is not our mission. Our mission is public safety,' the chief said. 'I need victims to come forward. They will not come forward if they're fearful of Omaha Police Department being immigration officers.'
