In December 2006, ICE agents raided six Swift & Company meatpacking plants in Texas, arresting 1,300 undocumented workers, a pivotal but often overlooked event that forced the meatpacking industry to shift away from undocumented labor. Although anti-immigrant crackdowns have historically aimed to open jobs to American workers, these positions—especially in meatpacking—have not been reclaimed by native-born citizens. Instead, the industry has come to rely heavily on more vulnerable groups such as refugees, asylum-seekers, and temporary migrants, many of whom now form a significant portion of the workforce. This series, published with multiple partners in different formats, highlights the complex, evolving role of immigrants in essential American industries and the broader narrative reshaped by immigration policy and labor demands.