Gov. Kathy Hochul and migrant advocacy groups confirmed Thursday that dozens of people were detained during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in parts of New York state, including Cato and Fulton.
“I am outraged by this morning’s ICE raids in Cato and Fulton, where more than 40 adults were seized — including parents of at least a dozen children at risk of returning from school to an empty house,” Hochul said in a statement from her office.
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Under former President Donald Trump, ICE expanded its authority, receiving record funding and broader powers to conduct raids as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown. While Trump said the focus was on deporting “the worst of the worst” criminals, ICE data showed an increase in arrests of non-criminal migrants.
Migrant advocacy group Rural & Migrant Ministry reported on Facebook that more than 70 workers were arrested during an ICE raid at Nutrition Bar Confectioners, a factory in the village of Cato. The New York Times also cited witnesses confirming the number and described it as one of the largest workplace raids in New York since Trump took office.
“I’ve made it clear: New York will work with the federal government to secure our borders and deport violent criminals, but we will never stand for masked ICE agents separating families and abandoning children,” Hochul said.
Mark Schmidt, 70, the principal owner of Nutrition Bar Confectioners, told The New York Times that all his employees had legal documentation to work in the U.S., calling the ICE operation “overkill.”
An ICE Homeland Security Investigations spokesperson stated that the action was part of “court-authorized enforcement actions” but declined to provide further details, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.
Details about the Fulton raid were not immediately available, but Hochul criticized the approach, saying it would not make New York safer.
“What they did was shatter hard-working families who are simply trying to build a life here,” the governor added.
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