Morton and nearby towns in central Mississippi saw the biggest workplace ICE raids in the country in 2019, when nearly 700 workers were arrested from chicken processing plants. Five years later, the impact is still felt here, even as activists and immigrants brace for more workplace raids under a second Trump term.

Summary

The 2019 ICE raids on Mississippi poultry plants, which detained 680 workers, have left the immigrant community in Morton scarred and fearful of renewed workplace raids under Trump, who plans mass deportations.

Residents recall the trauma, with children left stranded and families torn apart. Local businesses, reliant on immigrant workers, suffered economically, while poultry plants quickly resumed operations.

Activists and nonprofits are preparing families for potential detentions, emphasizing the economic and social impacts of such raids.

Many undocumented workers fear another round of disruptions and family separations.