350 immigrant workers arrested in raid on Mississippi factory

Hundreds of heavily armed ICE agents, who arrived in unmarked cars and white vans, swarmed into the Laurel facility Monday morning, sealing it off and rounding up suspect employees. ICE agents questioned the workers in mobile trailers.

Hispanic workers were segregated from the other plant employees; US citizens were provided blue armbands to separate them from the immigrants. The media reported that motorists traveling on roads in back of the plant were stopped by officers, wearing flak vests and driving unmarked vehicles, and told to leave the area.

Those detained, who include heads of households, are being held at an undisclosed location. On Tuesday, two of the arrested immigrants, Paula Gomez and Angel Rodriguez Flores, were charged in federal court in Hattiesburg with one count of aggravated identity theft. The penalty for using another persons name and Social Security number is up to two years in prison and/or up to a $250,000 fine. As many as eight more of the detainees were expected to make initial appearances in court Tuesday afternoon.