Omaha Company Defends Hiring Guatamalan Workers

By Marcus Cooper

CREATED Jan. 24, 2013

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Omaha, NE - An Omaha meatpacking plant says it followed federal guidelines when it hired four men killed in a car accident last week.  The Douglas County Sheriff had difficulty identifying the men because they were using false names.  All four lived in Fremont and worked at Nebraska Beef in Omaha.

Friends of the men told Action 3 News this week, they came to the United States to find work and support their families in Guatamala.  A Fremont church set up a fund to collect donations so their bodies can be returned for burial. 

Nebraska Beef said today the company will donate $30,000 to pay those expenses.

The company also claims it followed the law when it hired Manuel Lopez, Pedro Ortiz, Gabriel Ralias and Mario Alavrez.  The company says it used the federal government's Employment Verification Program to check their eligibility to work in the U.S. Two of the men were hired in November 2012; the others started working this month.

The four Guatemalan immigrants died last Friday in a crash at 275th and Maple near Waterloo.