The immigrant, who was not caught in the raid because he works the night shift, spoke on the condition that he be identified only by his first name, Jose, because he was concerned about being detained.

“The union uses the tactic of saying immigration was coming and the members of the union would not be taken,” he said through a translator.

Jose said he did not join the union because he wasn’t convinced it would come to his side if he were detained, and he felt his dues would not be returned.

At least eight of the workers caught in the raid face criminal charges for allegedly using false Social Security and residency identification.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people lined up outside the plant to apply for jobs as news of the raid spread. A billboard had gone up last week, before the raid, saying the company was hiring.

“I need a job and got kids. I heard that they need some help now,” said Willie Keys, 20, who applied Wednesday. “All them Mexicans got fired because they didn’t have a pass ... All these businesses have been taking Americans’ jobs.”

The unemployment rate in Jones County was 6.5 percent in July, slightly higher than the national rate of 6 percent but below the state’s 8.5 percent rate.

William Gunther, an economics professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, said Mississippi has a labor shortage because people aren’t moving there, which could explain why companies might hire illegal immigrants.

“That leaves businesses with a serious problem,” he said. “That doesn’t justify, but it certainly explains why they might be hiring individuals who show up and say, ’I’ll work for you.”’

He said businesses could face higher wage costs and consumers could face higher costs for products and services if immigrants are taken out of the economy.

Ruben Castro, who owns La Fiesta Brava Mexican restaurant, is already seeing the effects. He had to bring in workers from a store in another town because he was so busy after the raid, when five other Mexican restaurants in Laurel closed because employees were afraid to come to work.

“It hurts the community,” he said, because the town will lose 600 people who frequented stores like Wal-Mart and paid sales taxes.

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Associated Press writers Shelia Byrd and Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson and Eileen Sullivan in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.