Federal immigration agents raided a food production facility in Cato on Thursday morning.
According to reports, the operation took place at Nutrition Bar Confectioners, which packages granola bars for major national brands. Employees say about 60 workers were detained. Family members told reporters they don’t know where their loved ones were taken. Videos from inside the factory and posted on social media showed agents separating U.S. citizens from non-citizens.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations called the raid a “court-authorized enforcement action” and says the case remains under criminal investigation.
Governor Kathy Hochul released this statement in response to the Thursday raid:
“I am outraged by this morning’s ICE raids in Cato and Fulton, where more than 40 adults were seized — including parents of at least a dozen children at risk of returning from school to an empty house.
“I’ve made it clear: New York will work with the federal government to secure our borders and deport violent criminals, but we will never stand for masked ICE agents separating families and abandoning children.
“Today’s raids will not make New York safer. What they did was shatter hard-working families who are simply trying to build a life here, just like millions of immigrants before them.
“These actions fly in the face of New York’s values. As Governor, I will always stand against this cruelty.”
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