A top federal prosecutor had a message for upstate New York businesses days after immigration agents detained dozens of people at a food-processing plant: there’s more to come.
“You can expect to see federal law enforcement at more work sites going forward,” Acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone said Tuesday in Albany. “Last week's operation enforced our immigration laws, but it also struck a blow for fairness and opportunity for hardworking able-bodied Americans who deserve access to all the well-paying jobs in their communities.”
Fifty-seven people were taken into custody Thursday at the Nutrition Bar Confections plant in Cayuga County, Sarcone said. Most are facing civil immigration charges, but five people were charged with illegally re-entering the U.S. after a prior removal, a criminal offense. Sarcone said it was the largest immigration action taken in the state this year.
Democratic officials and activists condemned the Thursday morning raid, which tore apart families and temporarily halted production at the factory. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said Tuesday that the detainees included six mothers with children less than a year old.
“This family separation does not make us safer,” she said.
Sarcone declined to comment on why the plant was targeted for enforcement
His comments came a day after the Supreme Court set aside a federal judge’s temporary restrictions on immigration enforcement agents accused of racially profiling suspected undocumented immigrants in the Los Angeles area, in a case policy experts contend could ultimately determine what limits are placed on enforcement agents nationwide.
The restrictions put on hold Monday by the Supreme Court, pending further court proceedings – barred immigration stops based solely on how the person looks, their ability to speak English, where they happen to be present, or their employment in certain low-wage jobs, such as at a car wash or in agriculture.
Kayla Kelechian, the upstate director of organizing and strategy for the New York Immigration Coalition, rushed to the Cayuga County factory from her office in Syracuse.
“People, community members, family members were crying, inconsolable. You know, yelling out, ‘Where are you taking them?’ ” Kelechian said. “It was horrible.”
Videos of the incident showed federal agents, some wearing masks, walking through the factory floor and asking employees in English and Spanish whether they are U.S. Citizens. Halinka Zolcik, a legal representative for one of the detained workers who provided the videos, said detainees were initially taken to immigration facilities in the Thousand Islands but quickly dispersed.
Her client contacted her over the weekend from a detention facility in Texas. The 29-year-old Nicaraguan is scheduled for an asylum hearing on Thursday in New York, Zolcik said. She criticized the government’s handling of the detainees.
“There's absolutely no due process going on here,” she said.
Sarcone said some of the people who were detained have waived their rights and were deported. The five individuals charged with illegal re-entry come from Guatemala and Mexico, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Jessica Maxwell, executive director of the Workers Center of Central New York, an advocacy group, said the raid was structured to be particularly cruel. She said many of the workers came from families where parents, siblings and children all have different immigration status.
“It's not that black and white. We know many people come into the country and then are in limbo for quite a while,” she said. “They are just scooping people up. They're painting everybody with broad brush strokes and they're not making any distinctions. And the message that it's sending to everybody is – there's no right way.”
A first-time prosecutor who assumed his post in March, Sarcone has said that he views his job as carrying out the Trump administration’s agenda in upstate New York. He has criticized state officials for “revolving door” policies that eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanor and non-violent felonies.
On Tuesday, he said people who entered the country illegally are criminals.
“President Trump wanted to go after the worst of the worst,” he said. “We're obviously going after anybody who has committed crimes in this country. All right? Including illegal reentry, including being here illegally.”
Nutrition Bar Confectioners makes granola, fruit and protein bars. Co-owner Jeff Schmidt declined to be interviewed, citing the ongoing case. He said in a text message that the plant employs roughly 220 people.
“They were fantastic employees who worked hard, here daily and on time,” he said. “Our operation came to a halt due to the raid but we are determined to get our operation back to full strength. Many rely on this business for their livelihoods and we will not let them down.”
The July unemployment rate in central New York was 3.7%, according to state Labor Department statistics. That was lower than the 4.6% state average.
Marissa Beck, a spokesperson for the Manufacturers Association of Central New York, said she couldn’t comment on specific immigration enforcement actions. But she said the region has workforce challenges and active apprenticeship programs.
“MACNY’s focus is on strengthening the workforce and supporting employers in connecting with qualified candidates,” she said. “Central New York manufacturers, including those in food processing, face ongoing challenges in finding skilled workers.”
Kelechian said many of the people who were detained were simply doing jobs to feed their families. She criticized the Trump administration’s approach to immigration.
“The Guatemalan community has been here for decades,” Kelechian said. “They should not be collateral damage to federal play or federal attacks.”
