ImmigrationTomato giant fined for hiring illegal workers

Last week, the largest year-round grower of greenhouse tomatoes in the United States was fined $600,000 for knowingly hiring undocumented workers.

Eurofresh Inc., pled guilty to the charges of employing illegal workers and now faces a five year probation, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

The company’s fines come as part of a broader government effort by immigration officials to crack down on employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers.

“This judgment is a message to other employers who engage in illegal practices that there is a real cost to their actions,” said U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke in a statement. “We will continue to work with our partners at the Department of Homeland Security to ensure our nation’s laws are followed.”

According to the plea statement, between August 2000 and December 2006, Eurofresh hired and continued to employ at least seventeen supervisory-level employees despite the fact that the human resources director knew that they lacked proper documentation.

The company said that it fired the director as soon as it learned of the unlawful hiring practices and “self-reported the infraction to the U.S. Department of Justice.”

“Eurofresh does not tolerate illegal activities and regrets that a former employee engaged in illegal conduct more than five years ago,” said Johan van den Berg, the CEO of Eurofresh Farms, in a statement. “When Eurofresh discovered the activities, the company voluntarily reported the infraction to authorities, terminated the employee, and acted swiftly to implement new procedures that ensure full compliance with immigration laws.”

The former human resources director is currently awaiting sentencing by the U.S. District Court for knowingly allowing illegal immigrants to work at the company’s facilities for short periods of time.

Eurofresh operates two facilities in Arizona – Wilcox and Snowflake – that employ more than 1,100 cover at its sprawling 318 acre facilities.