After Immigration Audit, 90% Of Workers At Apple-Packing Plant In WA Asked To Prove Status

Hundreds of workers at a central Washington apple- packaging company could be facing layoffs after a federal immigration audit.

Crunch Pak notified its employees Friday that they need to provide documents proving they can work in the United States legally, after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audit unveiled discrepancies in the payroll, The Wenatchee Worldreported Saturday.

Company spokeswoman Amy Philpott confirmed the audit but did not say how many employees were affected. The audit began in August 2013, and workers under review were notified the next month, she said.

Vicky Castro of East Wenatchee estimated that 90 percent of the people she works with received notifications ...

On Friday, around 50 workers organized a walkout to protest the looming layoffs ...

“They promised us when we started working here. They said, ‘Help us build the company now and we’ll all share the benefits,’ ” Maria Rosas, an employee of 14 years, said Friday “ ... Fourteen years making apples and not a single time have I ever been asked for documents” ...