Tyson Foods is the first American food company to join U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a member of the IMAGE program, which stands for Ice Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers. According to Meat&Poultry Business Journal, the program "enables businesses to voluntarily partner with the federal government to ensure they are employing people who are legally authorized to work in the U.S., providing they first meet rigorous standards."
Those rigorous standards apply not only to employees but also to Tyson itself; the company made all of its Form I-9 employment eligibility documents for its 100,000 employees nationwide available for review by ICE, in addition to meeting other requirements for certification that included auditing selected plant locations and checking Social Security numbers.
Tyson adds this endeavor to their list of voluntary participation in government employee programs, having voluntarily participated in the "Social Security Number Verification System" as well as "E-Verify," an online government employment verification program. Tyson senior vice president Ken Kimbro hopes the "partnership will enhance our ability to collaborate with government officials on immigration-related matters."
Posted: 2/15/11
