2018 Southeastern Provisions raid

In the immediate aftermath of the immigration raid, over 500 Hispanic students in the neighboring city of Morristown skipped school the following day in fear of being deported.[17] Many churches and non-profit organizations in the Morristown-Hamblen area had planned together activities for those who had family or friends involved in the raid.[18] An estimated crowd of 300 individuals led a protest against ICE and the Trump administration, which had recently planned the raids of workplaces across the United States.[19] Fundraising for families impacted received over $60,000 for financial support.[18]

The support given to the immigrant families grew increasingly political in the area surrounding the raid.[2] Politicians from Hamblen and Grainger counties provided various comments on the raid and its impact on their represented communities.[2] Mayor Gary Chesney of Morristown would analyze both sides of the argument, "It involves more focus when things land in our lap. There are many who’ve hollered that we want illegal immigrants gone. At the same time, we don’t think children need to go to bed at night afraid."[2]

In Grainger County, then county mayor Mark Hipsher angered the county's many conservative residents after making statements that provided a perceived sympathetic approach to those detained.[2] When asked to speak about the raid by a Rolling Stone reporter, an unnamed Grainger County Republican politician suggested that the reporter 'expose' a political rival who had allegedly hired undocumented workers.[2]

Following the raid, Southeastern Provisions temporarily closed, causing a disruption in the beef distribution market with an estimated loss of $20 million dollars.[9]

Chief U.S. District of the Eastern District Court of Tennessee Judge Travis R. McDonough provided the judicial opinion in the lawsuit against ICE personnel involved in the raid.[20]

In September 2018, James Brantley was found guilty of multiple state and federal crimes, including tax evasion up to $2.4 million dollars,[13] wire fraud, employing immigrants not authorized to work in the US, and many other workplace violations. He would be sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and was forced to pay over $1.3 million to the IRS, and $1.42 million in restitution.[21][22][23]

Workers detained in the raid had filed a lawsuit against ICE with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) on their behalf.[24] Despite this, the ICE officials involved had been granted immunity from legal actions, leading to calls from the workers and civil rights groups to lift ICE's immunity so the lawsuit could proceed. The groups would find success two years later when Chief U.S. District Judge Travis R. McDonough published a public appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States to lift the immunity granted to the federal law enforcement officers involved, writing, "Perhaps a higher court will recognize causes of action that more directly address agents’ searches and seizures based on skin color."[13] By April 2021, the United States Department of Homeland Security urged the Eastern District Court of Tennessee to exclude 41 agents involved in the raid from litigation.[25] A final settlement agreement was made between six former employees of the plant, represented by the SPLC and NILC, and the U.S. government on October 19, 2022. The U.S. government would split $475,000 between the six plantiffs, and also issue an extra $37,000 for two plaintiffs on individual claims. An additional $150,000 was dispersed evenly for the SPLC and NILC to cover attorney fees and expenses. An additional $550,000 was set for a class settlement fund with the nearly 100 employees of Southeastern Provisions at the time eligible for a $5,000 to $6,000 payment.[20] The settlement was finalized on February 28, 2023.[26]

Southeastern Provisions would restart operations in August 2019 under the leadership of the family of James Brantley.[23] While incarcerated, James Brantley filed and signed a consent order agreeing to give an estimated $610,000 in a three-year period in pay to 150 current and former workers of Southeastern Provisions, most of whom are Hispanic, in July 2020. [27] The United States Department of Labor sued Brantley for failing to properly compensate workers at the slaughterhouse.[28] Brantley would be released in January 2021 from a Montgomery, Alabama work camp.[13] Three years after the events of the raid, Southeastern Provisions encountered another investigation, this time by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration, after one of the plant's employees died from on-site injuries.[29]