Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids in four facilities belonging to Fresh Mark, arresting 146 workers suspected of using stolen or fraudulent identification to gain employment, CNN is reporting.
The raids, which took place in Salem, Massillon and Canton, Ohio, was the largest ICE operation to take place during the Trump Administration, according to a spokesman. The arrested workers, many of whom came from Guatemala, worked at the Salem facility. ICE said that the number of arrests may increase once the operation concluded. Some of the workers could face federal charges for identity theft and/or re-entry after deportation.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said on Twitter, “The workers at this plant are RWDSU members. It was the largest worksite ICE raid in at least a decade. Our union will not tolerate this egregious show of force by the Trump administration.”
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, also issued a statement saying, per WKBN, “Our union is a union of hardworking people, which includes immigrants; and we stand with all immigrant workers, who are trying to support their families and better their lives. Our union will not stand for violence against immigrants; we will not stand for tearing families apart and we will not stand for the terrifying tactics of the Trump Administration.”
