Based on the latest information he had, Morodo said 24 of the roughly 130 Mexican nationals arrested have been returned to Mexico. Morodo said about 11 people have been released, seven of those at the consulate's request. Those individuals granted temporary relief are mostly single mothers or pregnant women, who must still appear before an immigration court.

"We will have to wait," he said. "The authorities are following their own legal procedures."

The aftermath of these recent raids has been swift and vocal:

• Pro-Hispanic advocates have decried the government's actions, which have broken up families just before Christmas, and members of the Hispanic community are worried about relatives who have been detained and also the children of those arrested.

• People opposed to illegal immigration have insisted the raids were warranted because identity theft, forgery and immigrating to the U.S. illegally are criminal actions that should not be tolerated.

• Eighteen former Swift employees, all of whom are U.S. citizens, have sued the company for $23 million, claiming that the firm conspired to deliberately hire illegal workers to keep wages low. Swift has denied the charge.

• Some groups are questioning why Swift has not had any charges brought against the company, which knew in advance of the raid and tried unsuccessfully to get a federal judge to stop it.

• All six Swift plants are operating, although there was an interval of reduced productivity immediately following the raids. Swift employs about 15,000 workers in the U.S.

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E-mail: lindat@desnews.com; dbulkeley@desnews.com