Quote:Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained approximately 70 men and women for “identification theft and fraud” from Bear Creek Arsenal — a manufacturer of AR-15 firearms and firearm products — in Sanford this morning.

The incident has led to several Latino-owned businesses in Sanford closing their doors today.

Quote:SANFORD, N.C. — At least 30 people were taken into custody in Sanford on Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said.

The operation was conducted at Bear Creek Arsenal, a gun manufacturing company in Sanford, and was the result of an ongoing investigation that dealt with identity theft and fraud, authorities said.

Bear Creek issued the following statement:

Today there were several employees who were detained by law enforcement. This is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security into employment that was obtained by either ID theft or fraudulent information.

The company said that Homeland Security confirmed Bear Creek's Human Resource Department "complied with all laws, rules and regulations" in their hiring practices.

Officials did not know how long the people will be held in custody.

"What I want Lee County residents to know is that this was not a random operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Lee County," the sheriff said in a statement. "This was the result of an ongoing investigation by Immigration and Customs and isolated to one location.​"

"ICE makes arrests daily as part of targeted immigration enforcement efforts," a spokesperson for ICE Public Affairs told WRAL News.

BluntForceTrauma Wrote:It was stated that Bear Creek complied with all "laws, rules, and regulations" in their hiring practices, but if I'm reading between the lines correctly, they hired some low-wage workers who shouldn't have been in the country and only got employed because they falsified their work documents.

The cost of labor is usually the main driver of the cost of goods. If you can keep your labor costs low, you can sell for less.

"I will work for cheap!"

"Really? This is too good to be true! You're hired!"