Following the indictment of Tyson Foods Inc. on charges of illegal immigrant smuggling, there are fears of a major disruption of the food industry if there is a similar crackdown nationwide. Foreign-born workers have become a vital part of the American food and agriculture system, and 40% of farm laborers, for example, are estimated to be illegal immigrants.
See "Meatpackers’ Profits Hinge on Pool of Immigrant Labor", David Barboza, The New York Times, December 20, 2001