Initial Spanish-language news reports suggested that 129 workers, including six children, were “rescued” from the textile factory belonging to the Yes International clothing company.
Yet Rafael Castellanos, a spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office, later revealed that they had not encountered any criminal wrongdoing.
“The anonymous caller alleged that foreign workers were enslaved at the factory but this turns out to be false. We now have workers at the plant complaining and protesting because they say they are paid and treated well. We thought there was a serious problem at first, but this has not turned out to be the case.”
The factory was closed after Yes International security personnel refused entry to inspectors from Zapopan city council on Thursday February 5. The plant was shuttered for more than a week after and no one paid the fine to the municipal authority.
A spokesman for Yes International, Luis Ivan Santana, said that the company operates within the law and highlighted numerous inaccuracies in the reporting of the incident.
“The owners are not Korean, for one thing,” he said. “The Koreans are technical specialists and are responsible for maintaining the machinery. The owner is Mexican. He is of Korean origin but he is a naturalized Mexican citizen.”
The spokesman also denied that the company was exploiting children.
“We have minors working for us but they are all over 16 years of age. They all have parental permission and the necessary documents from the Labor Secretariat.”