<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-immigration-raids-sweep-up-hundreds-of-undocumented-migrants-241420">US immigration authorities</a> arrested nearly 700 people at seven agricultural processing plants across Mississippi on Wednesday in what federal officials said could be the largest worksite enforcement operation in a single state.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/armed-man-dead-after-attacking-united-states-immigration-jail-235787">Immigration and Customs Enforcement</a> (ICE) said in a statement they detained about 680 people who were working illegally at the plants. They said they also seized business records as part of a federal criminal investigation.

Some of those detained will be released for "humanitarian reasons" and required to appear in the US immigration court, the US Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Mississippi, which partnered with ICE, said in a statement. Others will be transported to an ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana, it said.

A video released by ICE showed buses arriving at a Canton, Mississippi, processing facility where agents searched workers and checked their identification documents. Some workers had their hands restrained with nylon ties, the video showed.

Meanwhile, Mexico said&nbsp;that 122 of its citizens were among the&nbsp;people arrested in the raids.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the government would provide consular assistance and "guarantee the adequate legal defence of all Mexican nationals" detained.

Past large operations to enforce immigration laws at workplaces have included the arrest in 2008 of more than 300 workers at a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa.

Watch: The immigration debate: seesaws placed at US-Mexico border

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During the administration of former President Barack Obama, ICE prioritised the arrests of recent border crossers, people who had previously been ordered deported and those seen as a threat to public safety.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-to-visit-el-paso-tomorrow-following-mass-shooting-mayor-241082">President Donald Trump</a> has made cracking down on illegal immigration a centrepiece of his presidency, however, and ICE has stepped up its activities considerably since he took office in January 2017.

ICE said it has made more than 2,300 criminal and administrative arrests related to workplaces in the 2018 fiscal year, which ended in September, compared to just over 300 in the previous year.

Among the facilities targeted in Wednesday's operation was a Peco Foods processing plant in Canton. On its website, Peco Foods says it is the 8th largest poultry producer in the United States.

Tom Super, the spokesman for the National Chicken Council, an industry group, said meat processing companies do their best to hire legal workers.

"The chicken industry uses every tool in the toolbox to ensure a legal workforce," Super said.

US immigration authorities arrested nearly 700 people at seven agricultural processing plants across Mississippi on Wednesday in what federal officials said could be the largest worksite enforcement operation in a single state.

US immigration authorities arrested nearly 700 people at seven agricultural processing plants across Mississippi on Wednesday in what federal officials said could be the largest worksite enforcement operation in a single state. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement they detained about 680 people who were working illegally at the plants. They said they also seized business records as part of a federal criminal investigation. Some of those detained will be released for "humanitarian reasons" and required to appear in the US immigration court, the US Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Mississippi, which partnered with ICE, said in a statement. Others will be transported to an ICE facility in Jena, Louisiana, it said. A video released by ICE showed buses arriving at a Canton, Mississippi, processing facility where agents searched workers and checked their identification documents. Some workers had their hands restrained with nylon ties, the video showed. Meanwhile, Mexico said that 122 of its citizens were among the people arrested in the raids. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the government would provide consular assistance and "guarantee the adequate legal defence of all Mexican nationals" detained. Past large operations to enforce immigration laws at workplaces have included the arrest in 2008 of more than 300 workers at a kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa. Watch: The immigration debate: seesaws placed at US-Mexico border × During the administration of former President Barack Obama, ICE prioritised the arrests of recent border crossers, people who had previously been ordered deported and those seen as a threat to public safety. President Donald Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a centrepiece of his presidency, however, and ICE has stepped up its activities considerably since he took office in January 2017. ICE said it has made more than 2,300 criminal and administrative arrests related to workplaces in the 2018 fiscal year, which ended in September, compared to just over 300 in the previous year. Among the facilities targeted in Wednesday's operation was a Peco Foods processing plant in Canton. On its website, Peco Foods says it is the 8th largest poultry producer in the United States. Tom Super, the spokesman for the National Chicken Council, an industry group, said meat processing companies do their best to hire legal workers. "The chicken industry uses every tool in the toolbox to ensure a legal workforce," Super said.

In largest immigration raid, US authorities arrest 680 workers at Mississippi

Mexico avoided the most extreme immigration concession sought by US&nbsp;President Donald Trump in the deal reached to fend off <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-mulling-over-declaring-new-emergency-for-imposing-tariffs-on-mexico-225116">threatened tariffs</a>, but it is left even weaker than before in the face of potential new pressure from Trump as he formally kicks off his re-election campaign this month.

Under the deal reached on Friday, Mexico agreed to use a large part of its newly formed National Guard to hold back<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/its-business-as-usual-at-mexicos-southern-border-despite-trump-deal-225581"> immigrants</a> crossing from Guatemala, and to take in possibly tens of thousands of people seeking asylum in the United States while their cases are adjudicated.

Led by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, negotiators in Washington resisted Trump's core demand that Mexico is declared a safe third country, a classification that would oblige Central Americans crossing through Mexico to seek safe haven there, not the United States.

But the two sides agree more action could be taken if within 90 days the measures do not have the desired result of drastically bringing down the numbers of undocumented migrants reaching the US&nbsp;border from levels that are at a more-than-decade high. Last month alone 132,000 were apprehended by US&nbsp;authorities.

Former World Trade Organisation head Pascal Lamy called Trump's approach to coerce its neighbour and ally "hostage-taking," reflecting widely held concerns in Mexico that the US&nbsp;president will come back with more threats to extract greater concessions.

Those fears are sharpened because Trump has used Mexico-bashing to fire up his base on repeated occasions since kicking off his first campaign for the White House in 2015. All signs are that he intends to keep the focus on immigration and cross-border issues in his second-term campaign, which officially launches on June 18.

"We think the threats, demands and Trump tweets against Mexico will continue, especially because it's all tied up with the politics of the 2020 election," said Gabriela Siller, an economist at Mexican bank Banco Base.

Siller expects the peso currency to rise when markets open on Monday on relief that a trade war has been averted, but she said the uptick could be short-lived. The peso, which had been pummelled in recent months on fears over a trade war, on Friday strengthened 0.5% after Trump tweeted that there was a "good chance" a deal would be reached with Mexico.

"A SURRENDER"

Vicente Fox, a former Mexican president and long-term critic of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, tweeted that by allowing the United States to dictate how, for example, Mexico uses its security forces, the government has already ceded some of its sovereignty.

That sentiment was echoed by centre-left politician Angel Avila, on the other side of the political aisle from Fox, who called the deal "a surrender."

"Mexico shouldn't militarise its southern border," said Avila, who heads the Party of the Democratic Revolution.

Others, however, think Lopez Obrador had little choice beyond giving some ground in the negotiations because the threatened tariffs would have caused economic devastation in Mexico, whose economy contracted in the first quarter of this year.

Francisco Labastida, a former presidential candidate, said the scale of the current immigration crisis was a threat to Mexico itself, and action was needed regardless of Trump.

"Mexico would have had to change its migration policy for its own reasons due to national security," he said, arguing that current numbers are unmanageable.

Carlos Pascual, a former US&nbsp;ambassador to Mexico, praised the deal as preferable to the downward spiral of a tit-for-tat trade war but acknowledged it left Mexico open to further pressure.

"Mexico is weak economically and it's always going to be vulnerable if the United States is willing to use economic policy to enforce national security policy," he said.

"There's no doubt this leaves a Damocles sword hanging over Lopez Obrador's head," he said, invoking a metaphor that describes an ever-present peril.

Mexico avoided the most extreme immigration concession sought by US President Donald Trump in the deal reached to fend off threatened tariffs, but it is left even weaker than before in the face of potential new pressure from Trump as he formally kicks off his re-election campaign this month.

Mexico avoided the most extreme immigration concession sought by US President Donald Trump in the deal reached to fend off threatened tariffs, but it is left even weaker than before in the face of potential new pressure from Trump as he formally kicks off his re-election campaign this month. Under the deal reached on Friday, Mexico agreed to use a large part of its newly formed National Guard to hold back immigrants crossing from Guatemala, and to take in possibly tens of thousands of people seeking asylum in the United States while their cases are adjudicated. Led by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, negotiators in Washington resisted Trump's core demand that Mexico is declared a safe third country, a classification that would oblige Central Americans crossing through Mexico to seek safe haven there, not the United States. But the two sides agree more action could be taken if within 90 days the measures do not have the desired result of drastically bringing down the numbers of undocumented migrants reaching the US border from levels that are at a more-than-decade high. Last month alone 132,000 were apprehended by US authorities. Former World Trade Organisation head Pascal Lamy called Trump's approach to coerce its neighbour and ally "hostage-taking," reflecting widely held concerns in Mexico that the US president will come back with more threats to extract greater concessions. Those fears are sharpened because Trump has used Mexico-bashing to fire up his base on repeated occasions since kicking off his first campaign for the White House in 2015. All signs are that he intends to keep the focus on immigration and cross-border issues in his second-term campaign, which officially launches on June 18. "We think the threats, demands and Trump tweets against Mexico will continue, especially because it's all tied up with the politics of the 2020 election," said Gabriela Siller, an economist at Mexican bank Banco Base. Siller expects the peso currency to rise when markets open on Monday on relief that a trade war has been averted, but she said the uptick could be short-lived. The peso, which had been pummelled in recent months on fears over a trade war, on Friday strengthened 0.5% after Trump tweeted that there was a "good chance" a deal would be reached with Mexico. "A SURRENDER" Vicente Fox, a former Mexican president and long-term critic of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, tweeted that by allowing the United States to dictate how, for example, Mexico uses its security forces, the government has already ceded some of its sovereignty. That sentiment was echoed by centre-left politician Angel Avila, on the other side of the political aisle from Fox, who called the deal "a surrender." "Mexico shouldn't militarise its southern border," said Avila, who heads the Party of the Democratic Revolution. Others, however, think Lopez Obrador had little choice beyond giving some ground in the negotiations because the threatened tariffs would have caused economic devastation in Mexico, whose economy contracted in the first quarter of this year. Francisco Labastida, a former presidential candidate, said the scale of the current immigration crisis was a threat to Mexico itself, and action was needed regardless of Trump. "Mexico would have had to change its migration policy for its own reasons due to national security," he said, arguing that current numbers are unmanageable. Carlos Pascual, a former US ambassador to Mexico, praised the deal as preferable to the downward spiral of a tit-for-tat trade war but acknowledged it left Mexico open to further pressure. "Mexico is weak economically and it's always going to be vulnerable if the United States is willing to use economic policy to enforce national security policy," he said. "There's no doubt this leaves a Damocles sword hanging over Lopez Obrador's head," he said, invoking a metaphor that describes an ever-present peril.

Mexico holds off Trump's fire but seen vulnerable to new pressure

The favourite to become Britain&#39;s next prime minister, Theresa May vowed to push for an EU trade deal that limits immigration on Sunday, as a law firm warned Brexit needed Parliament&#39;s backing to begin. 
 
The shock June 23 vote caused upheaval in British politics and financial markets, leaving lawmakers at odds over what negotiating position to take and when to begin the official exit procedure from the European Union. 
 
Although she campaigned for the &quot;Remain&quot; side, interior minister and Conservative leadership frontrunner Theresa May has said she will honour the result of the referendum and has ruled out holding a general election before 2020. 
 
&quot;The Brexit vote gave us a very clear message that we couldn&#39;t allow free movement (of people) to continue as it had,&quot; May told ITV, adding that she would seek a guarantee for the status of EU nationals already in Britain. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s also about ensuring that we get the best deal possible on the trade of goods and services,&quot; she added. 
 
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has insisted a British trade deal would have to include freedom of movement. 
 
The five rival contenders to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned when Britain voted to leave the EU last month, have disagreed on how quickly the country should trigger its exit process. 
 
May, who polls indicate is the most popular candidate and who has strong backing from Conservative Party MPs, has insisted there should be &quot;no timescale&quot; for the exit. 
 
But rival challenger Andrea Leadsom has pushed for the process to begin quickly. 
 
Once Britain triggers Article 50, the legal procedure for exiting, it will have two years to negotiate terms. 
 
It faces a legal challenge from law firm Mishcon de Reya, which on Sunday said it would argue the government needs the backing of parliament in a vote to act. 
 
&quot;The outcome of the referendum itself is not legally binding,&quot; said partner Kasra Nouroozi. 
 
&quot;For the current or future prime minister to invoke Article 50 without the approval of parliament is unlawful.&quot; 
 
&#39;Kind of hysteria&#39; 
 
Both of Britain&#39;s main parties were thrown into disarray by the vote. 
 
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour party, held tenaciously to his position on Sunday after a mass rebellion against him by lawmakers who passed a no confidence vote in him by 172 to 40 last week. 
 
Corbyn, who has crucial union backing and was elected last year in a landslide by ordinary Labour party members, urged his colleagues to respect the party grassroots. 
 
&quot;I am ready to reach out to Labour MPs who didn&#39;t accept my election and oppose my leadership,&quot; he wrote in the Sunday Mirror. 
 
Conservative MPs are due to begin voting this week to whittle their five candidates down to two. The contest has proved turbulent so far. 
 
Last week former education secretary Michael Gove dramatically pulled support at the last minute from his close ally, former London mayor Boris Johnson, in order to launch his own bid. 
 
&quot;I love my country, I could not recommend that Boris be prime minister,&quot; Gove told the BBC on Sunday, when faced with accusations that he had knifed his friend in the back. 
 
The incident was not mentioned in Johnson&#39;s first column in the Daily Telegraph since the defection, in which he criticised an outpouring of support for the EU that followed the vote. 
 
&quot;There is, among a section of the population, a kind of hysteria,&quot; Johnson wrote, describing protesters who marched over the weekend against Brexit as being in &quot;a state of some confusion about the EU&quot;. 
 
Johnson insisted that it would be possible to both limit immigration and secure a free-trade deal with the EU without tariffs or quotas. 
 
&quot;The future is very bright indeed,&quot; Johnson concluded. 
 
(AFP)

Theresa May said there was no specific time-scale for the exit to begin, while her rival Andrea Leadsom pushed for a quick exit

The favourite to become Britain's next prime minister, Theresa May vowed to push for an EU trade deal that limits immigration on Sunday, as a law firm warned Brexit needed Parliament's backing to begin. The shock June 23 vote caused upheaval in British politics and financial markets, leaving lawmakers at odds over what negotiating position to take and when to begin the official exit procedure from the European Union. Although she campaigned for the "Remain" side, interior minister and Conservative leadership frontrunner Theresa May has said she will honour the result of the referendum and has ruled out holding a general election before 2020. "The Brexit vote gave us a very clear message that we couldn't allow free movement (of people) to continue as it had," May told ITV, adding that she would seek a guarantee for the status of EU nationals already in Britain. "It's also about ensuring that we get the best deal possible on the trade of goods and services," she added. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has insisted a British trade deal would have to include freedom of movement. The five rival contenders to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned when Britain voted to leave the EU last month, have disagreed on how quickly the country should trigger its exit process. May, who polls indicate is the most popular candidate and who has strong backing from Conservative Party MPs, has insisted there should be "no timescale" for the exit. But rival challenger Andrea Leadsom has pushed for the process to begin quickly. Once Britain triggers Article 50, the legal procedure for exiting, it will have two years to negotiate terms. It faces a legal challenge from law firm Mishcon de Reya, which on Sunday said it would argue the government needs the backing of parliament in a vote to act. "The outcome of the referendum itself is not legally binding," said partner Kasra Nouroozi. "For the current or future prime minister to invoke Article 50 without the approval of parliament is unlawful." 'Kind of hysteria' Both of Britain's main parties were thrown into disarray by the vote. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour party, held tenaciously to his position on Sunday after a mass rebellion against him by lawmakers who passed a no confidence vote in him by 172 to 40 last week. Corbyn, who has crucial union backing and was elected last year in a landslide by ordinary Labour party members, urged his colleagues to respect the party grassroots. "I am ready to reach out to Labour MPs who didn't accept my election and oppose my leadership," he wrote in the Sunday Mirror. Conservative MPs are due to begin voting this week to whittle their five candidates down to two. The contest has proved turbulent so far. Last week former education secretary Michael Gove dramatically pulled support at the last minute from his close ally, former London mayor Boris Johnson, in order to launch his own bid. "I love my country, I could not recommend that Boris be prime minister," Gove told the BBC on Sunday, when faced with accusations that he had knifed his friend in the back. The incident was not mentioned in Johnson's first column in the Daily Telegraph since the defection, in which he criticised an outpouring of support for the EU that followed the vote. "There is, among a section of the population, a kind of hysteria," Johnson wrote, describing protesters who marched over the weekend against Brexit as being in "a state of some confusion about the EU". Johnson insisted that it would be possible to both limit immigration and secure a free-trade deal with the EU without tariffs or quotas. "The future is very bright indeed," Johnson concluded. (AFP)

British PM front-runner says she will push EU trade deal to limit immigration

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