Federal immigration agents carried out a surprise enforcement action Thursday at a snack-bar manufacturing plant in Cato, New York, detaining dozens of workers in an operation that left company owners and state officials seeking information about its purpose.
The plant’s co-owner, Lenny Schmidt, said federal agents forced open doors, ordered employees into a lunchroom and asked them to provide proof they were in the country legally. Advocacy and community groups said between 50 and 60 people, most from Guatemala, remained in custody on Friday. The operation appeared to be led by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; HSI did not respond to requests for comment.
Schmidt told The Associated Press that the family-owned business employed about 230 people and that all employees had been vetted and had legal documentation. He said he was not informed in advance of any concerns and would have cooperated if told there were issues. "Coming in like they did, it's frightening for everybody," Schmidt said.
A 24-year-old worker who was briefly detained described agents photographing and recording information after he showed he was a U.S. legal resident. He said his partner, who lacks legal status, was among those taken and that some women began to cry because their children were at school or daycare. The worker spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fear of retribution.
Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said his deputies were among those on scene after federal agencies requested assistance a month ago in executing a search warrant "relative to an ongoing criminal investigation." He did not provide details about the nature of the probe.
State Sen. Rachel May, a Democrat representing the district, said the lack of explanation threw the operation into question. "It's not clear to me, if it's a longstanding criminal investigation, why the workers would have been rounded up," she said. "I feel like there are things that don’t quite add up."
Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized the way the action was carried out and raised concerns about children affected by the detentions. In a statement, the Democratic governor said the detained workers included parents of "at least a dozen children at risk of returning from school to an empty house," and added that New York will cooperate with federal authorities to deport violent criminals but would not "stand for masked ICE agents separating families and abandoning children."
The advocacy group Rural and Migrant Ministry said most of those detained were Guatemalan and that some people were released after several hours. The group's chief program officer, Wilmer Jimenez, said a mother of a newborn who needed to nurse was released after about 11 hours. The worker who was briefly detained said he planned to return to work on Monday, noting the economic necessity of his job.
Company officials warned of operational impacts. Schmidt estimated production could fall by about half without the missing employees, making it difficult to meet customer demand. He said the plant would try to rehire and recover where necessary.
The raid in upstate New York came the same day federal immigration authorities detained 475 people, most of them South Korean nationals, at a manufacturing site in Georgia tied to production at a Hyundai electric vehicle plant, highlighting a broader federal emphasis on workplace enforcement.
Federal and state officials have increasingly framed workplace immigration enforcement as part of broader efforts to secure borders and pursue criminal activity, while advocacy groups and some state leaders have condemned tactics they say can separate families and sow fear in immigrant communities. Law enforcement officials have cited the execution of search warrants and ongoing investigations in describing coordinated actions involving multiple agencies.
HSI and other federal agencies involved in the Cato operation did not provide public details about the investigation or the status of detainees on Friday. Local and state officials, the company and advocacy groups said they would continue to press for information and for the release or due process of workers affected by the operation.