Over forty individuals held in custody at a Central New York manufacturing facility during ICE operation; Governor Hochul expresses indignation
In a surprising turn of events, a federal raid took place at a food manufacturing plant in Cato, New York, early Thursday morning. The raid, conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and local sheriff's offices, began around 9 a.m.
At its peak, about 50 agents and deputies were at the factory during the raid. The facility, founded in 1978, specializes in making nutrition bars.
Governor Kathy Hochul expressed her disapproval of the raid, describing it as cruel and stating that at least a dozen children may have returned home from school to an empty house. She also mentioned that there was a separate raid in Fulton, but it was later confirmed that there was no raid in the Fulton community.
More than 40 adults were taken during the raid, including parents of at least a dozen school-age children. Some officers wore masks and many wore bullet-proof vests during the raid. Federal agents broke down the doors with crowbars, according to two employees.
During the raid, some women were reportedly detained and were seen crying and throwing up. Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck declined to provide any other details about the raid, and the Oswego sheriff's office did not respond to inquiries about the incident.
The Cayuga County sheriff's office had its mobile command center at the factory during the raid. Our platform and The Post-Standard have reached out to ICE and Homeland Security for more information about the raid, but no further details have been released at this time.
The location where the detained individuals are being held is not known. Hochul expressed her concern about the separation of families and the abandonment of children, promising to seek answers and solutions.
It is currently unclear what felony level crimes the raid was investigating. The factory remains closed, and the community is left waiting for more information.
