ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has conducted numerous worksite enforcement actions over its history, identifying illegal (undocumented) workers in factories across various industries, such as manufacturing, food processing, and garment production. However, there is no publicly available, comprehensive statistic from ICE or other official sources that provides an exact total number of factories where such workers have been found, as enforcement data is typically reported by arrests, fines, or operations rather than a cumulative count of unique factories. ICE’s focus has intensified in 2025 under the Trump administration’s deportation priorities, with over 1,000 undocumented workers arrested in worksite operations since January 20, 2025, leading to more than $1 million in proposed fines against exploitative employers. Below, I’ll outline key historical and recent examples to illustrate the scale, based on documented raids and investigations.
Historical Context and Major Examples
ICE’s worksite enforcement, led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), targets businesses violating the Immigration Reform and Control Act by knowingly hiring unauthorized workers. Since ICE’s inception in 2003, thousands of such violations have been uncovered, but factories (broadly including manufacturing and processing plants) have been a frequent target due to labor-intensive industries. Notable factory-specific raids include:
• Mississippi Chicken Processing Plants (2019): ICE raided multiple poultry factories (e.g., plants owned by Koch Foods and Peco Foods), detaining approximately 680 undocumented workers in a single day—the largest single-operation worksite raid at the time. This operation spanned at least 7 factories in Mississippi, uncovering widespread hiring of unauthorized Central American workers.
• North Texas Trailer Factory (2018): A raid at Load Trail LLC, a vehicle trailer manufacturing factory, resulted in 160 arrests of undocumented workers. This was described as one of the largest workplace raids in the prior decade, highlighting exploitation in the manufacturing sector.
• California Garment Factories (2016 and ongoing audits): ICE has repeatedly targeted Los Angeles’ Fashion District factories. For instance, in 2016, operations at Ambiance Apparel and similar sites led to dozens of arrests and fines exceeding $2 million across multiple factories. In 2025, renewed raids at garment factories like Ambiance Apparel detained workers, with reports of at least 2-3 specific factories hit in June-July alone.
Over the years (2003-2024), ICE conducted thousands of worksite audits and investigations, resulting in over 10,000 employer fines and the identification of unauthorized workers in hundreds of factories, according to aggregated HSI reports. However, exact factory counts are not tallied publicly, as many cases involve audits rather than high-profile raids.
2025 Enforcement: Increased Focus on Factories
In 2025, ICE has ramped up operations amid a mass deportation agenda, with worksite raids emphasizing factories and manufacturing sites. As of mid-September 2025, at least 5-7 documented factory raids or enforcement actions have occurred, but this is likely an undercount given ongoing investigations. Key examples:
• Hyundai Battery Plant, Georgia (September 5, 2025): The largest single-site raid in ICE history, with 475 undocumented workers (mostly South Korean nationals on violated visas) detained at the HL-GA Battery Company factory under construction. This electric vehicle battery manufacturing site was part of a $4.3 billion joint venture, exposing illegal hiring practices.
• Nutrition Bar Confectioners Plant, Cato, New York (September 5, 2025): Approximately 60 workers were detained during a raid at this food manufacturing factory, where federal agents questioned the entire workforce over several hours.
• Ambiance Apparel Garment Factory, Los Angeles, California (June 6, 2025): A raid at this apparel manufacturing site led to multiple arrests amid protests, with workers reporting prior ICE visits. This was part of broader California garment factory sweeps targeting at least 2-3 sites in the Fashion District.
• Other 2025 Factory-Related Actions: Reports indicate additional raids on manufacturing and processing facilities, including a North Texas factory (similar to the 2018 case, with 160+ arrests referenced in ongoing patterns) and scattered operations in meatpacking and auto repair-adjacent factories. HSI’s June 2025 report notes over 1,000 total worksite arrests nationwide, with factories comprising a significant portion due to industries like automotive, food processing, and textiles.
These 2025 actions align with ICE’s shift toward “egregious worksite violators,” where factories hiring undocumented labor for competitive advantage are prioritized. Preliminary data from Pew Research shows over 1.2 million immigrants (including undocumented workers) left the U.S. labor force from January to July 2025, partly due to enforcement fears and raids.
Why No Exact Total?
• Data Limitations: ICE publishes statistics on arrests (e.g., 60,000+ in custody as of August 2025) and fines but not a running tally of “factories found.” Many discoveries come from audits (e.g., I-9 form reviews) rather than raids, and some factories are revisited in follow-ups.
• Scope: “Factories” can include manufacturing plants, processing facilities, and construction sites (like the Hyundai case). Broader 2025 operations have hit farms, restaurants, and construction, diluting factory-specific counts.
• Ongoing Nature: As of September 11, 2025, enforcement is active, with ICE reporting “record-breaking” interior operations. For the latest, check ICE’s official statistics page.
If you’re seeking data for a specific year, region, or industry, more details could help refine this. Studies (e.g., from the Cato Institute) suggest these raids rarely “free up” jobs for citizens and can harm local economies by reducing workforce participation.
44 sources
