OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - South Omaha community members gathered to reflect on the one-year anniversary of a Department of Homeland Security operation at Glenn Valley Foods that resulted in 76 detentions.Luis Mejia and his mother were both inside Glenn Valley Foods on the morning of June 10, 2025, when ICE conducted the operation. Mejia was 19 years old when his mother was detained.“Like seeing it happen to me, it just felt unreal,” Mejia said.The Department of Homeland Security conducted the operation as part of a large-scale crackdown on stolen identities. Video from ICE shows agents in masks leading people out in cuffs. Mejia was released, but his mother was not.“I couldn’t believe it at first, it just felt a little bit unreal. I couldn’t sleep at all because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Mejia said.Families separatedMejia said he went days before hearing from his mother. He had to break the news to his family.“It was just hard explaining that to my younger sister, who was pretty much my mom’s best friend. It was just hard explaining to my younger sibling and my older brother too. It just felt like we had to take responsibility,” Mejia said.Lina T. Stover, executive director of Heartland Workers Center, said fear spread quickly through neighborhoods following the operation.“Families wondered if their loved ones would come home,” Stover said.Approximately 17 people were immediately deported following the operation. Around 25 people were released on bond, and another 25 were transferred to another facility in Nebraska.“Longtime community members were detained, separated from their families, labeled as criminals, and transferred hours away from communities they helped build,” Stover said.Mayor calls for immigration reformOmaha Mayor John Ewing gave remarks at the ceremony, calling for a more humane process.“I think what we really need is for the federal government to do what has been needed for decades, and that is a comprehensive humane immigration policy in the United States of America,” Ewing said.At the end of the ceremony, Ewing proclaimed the month of June as Immigrant Heritage Month.Mejia said he encourages young people to become informed.“I encourage a lot of young people around my age to vote, to make a difference,” Mejia said.A year later, most of those detained are still fighting their cases in immigration court. Mejia declined to say where his mother is today.Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.