When hordes of police and immigration officials stormed meatpacking plants in six states this week, the illegal workers arrested may not have been the only victims. Consumers and the industry itself may be feeling the repercussions in a shortage of meatpackers, higher wage costs and, ultimately, higher prices for the beef that lands on America's tables at home and in restaurants. Some analysts see the current emphasis on enforcement in the meatpacking industry as the precursor to getting an immigration bill through Congress -- by demonstrating the government's capability to enforce laws at the work site.
See "Immigration Raids May Affect Meat Prices", Associated Press, The New York Times, December 14, 2006