Tyson Foods Faces Boycott After Report Claims Company Plans To Hire Asylum Seekers

Tyson Foods, the well-known food processing company, finds itself in hot water as calls for a boycott surge due to allegations of planning to employ migrants at its factories. The uproar stemmed from a now-retracted report by Scripps News suggesting that the company intended to recruit asylum seekers who arrived in New York City. However, Tyson Foods swiftly debunked the claims, asserting the inaccuracies of the article’s figures.

Responding to the boycott demands, Tyson Foods released a statement to address the mounting misinformation: “In recent days, there has been a lot of misinformation in the media about our company, and we feel compelled to set the record straight. Tyson Foods is strongly opposed to illegal immigration, and we led the way in participating in the two major government programs to help employers combat unlawful employment, E-Verify and the Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers (IMAGE) program.”

Founded in 1935 in Arkansas, Tyson Foods boasts a long history of job creation across the United States, employing 120,000 individuals who must be legally authorized to work. “We have a history of strong hiring practices, and anybody who is legally able is welcome to apply to open job listings,” the statement continued.

Despite its commitment to legal hiring practices, Tyson Foods faced backlash, exacerbated by its decision to close a plant in Perry, Iowa, affecting approximately 1,200 employees. However, the company clarified that this move was unrelated to its partnership with the Tent Partnership for Refugees, through which it pledged to hire 2,500 refugees in 2022, a significantly lower number than initially reported.

The announcement of the plant closure and allegations of hiring migrants fueled outrage among some conservatives, who took to social media platforms to call for a boycott. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley expressed disappointment over the closure, calling it a significant blow to the community.

Immigration remains a contentious political issue, especially with the approaching presidential election. The surge in asylum seekers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has heightened tensions, with over 2.4 million encounters recorded in the 2023 fiscal year, up from previous years.

Tyson Foods finds itself navigating a storm of controversy, facing scrutiny over its hiring practices amidst broader debates surrounding immigration policies and their implications for American workers.