HEBER CITY — Many of the workers leaving the Bear Creek Country Kitchens plant here Monday had just finished their first day on the job.
They filled some of the positions left vacant last week when several employees were fired after an investigation revealed they were working in this country illegally.
One worker, who asked not to be identified, said he had just returned from vacation and noticed many of the people he previously worked with at the gourmet dry soup manufacturing company were gone.
The worker, originally from Mexico, said the workers' situation was "muy tristes," or "very sad."
"The people need to work," he continued. "Legal or illegal." An Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation revealed 52 of the plant's workers were illegal immigrants who apparently used fraudulent documentation to get their jobs, said Dave Ward, special agent in charge of ICE in Provo. Ward said three of those workers had since shown proper documentation.
Most of the illegal immigrants were employed through the temporary staffing company SOS Staffing Services. Ward said both companies had been cooperative and neither would face charges.
Ward said the investigation was based on a tip from someone whose name he did not release. On Friday, Ward had said as many as 70 workers were targeted by the investigation.
Shelley Weiss, diversity outreach coordinator for the nearby Park City Police Department, said the investigation could hamper attempts by Heber authorities to improve their relationship with the Hispanic community.
"The challenge for me is trying to bridge that gap between law enforcement and minorities," she said.
She said Heber's police force is actively working to improve relations after a drug investigation two years ago that targeted illegal immigrants charged with aggravated re-entry — re-entering the U.S. after being charged with a felony and deported.
"People were caught in the mix, who really hadn't done anything — they were undocumented — were picked up," she said. "It caused widespread panic in the Hispanic community."
Police Chief Edward Rhoades said there's always a need to reach out to minorities, especially those who don't speak English.
"Misunderstanding creates a lack of trust," he said. "We tried to work through that, to bridge some real gaps."
He said the drug investigation involved misunderstanding. He said local authorities weren't involved in the ICE investigation and he did not think it would create any long-term problems.
Only seven of the undocumented workers were full-time employees at the plant, said Michael Rosoff, Bear Creek's environmental, health, safety and risk manager.
He said four were in the process of getting their proper paperwork in order. Nine of the workers involved had not worked at the plant in at least six months, he said.
"Some of us are just going to have to work a little longer hours to fill the orders," he said of the vacant positions, some of which have been filled.
Bear Creek's chief executive officer Kevin Ruda said all the full-time employees came to the country legally, but did not keep their visas current. He said the company would try to help as many people as possible get their jobs back through legal means.
"They're really great people," he said. "We're trying to do what's right and what's fair. They're good members of our community, they're good employees."
Kevin Hardy, chief financial officer at SOS, said a total of 46 employees were terminated after the ICE investigation of the company's paperwork. He said two employees have told SOS they have the proper identification.
E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com