KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WBTV) – Federal immigration officials now confirm that 30 people were arrested during Wednesday’s ICE operation at a manufacturing plant in Kings Mountain, nearly double the number initially reported.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), executed a federal search warrant at Buckeye Fire Equipment Company on Kings Road, Wednesday.
ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams said the search was part of an investigation into possible identity theft and employment-related crimes.
Roughly 300 workers were inside the facility at the time of the raid. ICE now says 30 individuals were taken into custody for questioning related to the investigation.
It remains unclear how many, if any, will face formal charges.
WBTV’s Jason Puckett reached out to the company Thursday, and asked if they had any more information about what happened. They replied: “No comment.”
WBTV reached out to multiple immigration attorneys and organizations for insight into the raid’s legal framework.
According to guidance from the National Immigration Law Center, ICE and Department of Homeland Security agents must have a judicial warrant to access non-public areas of a business.
They also recommend that employers and employees understand their rights, advising against fleeing or answering questions without legal counsel.
This is not the first time Buckeye Fire Equipment has been under federal scrutiny.
In 2018, former executive Kevin Bower, a member of the family that still owns the company, was sentenced to federal prison for a $9 million tax evasion scheme. Prosecutors said Bower diverted more than $25 million in company payments into personal accounts between 2010 and 2013.
When asked if Wednesday’s search is connected to that case, ICE did not respond.
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