Federal officials have detained 48 workers at a South Carolina metal casting business, while six individuals, including two top managers, face state charges following a two-year investigation into immigrants using fake identity documents.
The operation unfolded on Wednesday when dozens of federal and local law enforcement officers raided Burnstein von Seelen Precision Castings in Abbeville.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers took the workers into custody on alleged immigration violations. Concurrently, the company’s plant manager and human resources director were arrested on allegations of knowingly hiring immigrants residing in the U.S. illegally, state Attorney General Alan Wilson announced at a news conference.
The two company officials were indicted by a state grand jury, alongside four other individuals accused of manufacturing and selling fraudulent U.S. and state identification documents using stolen identities.
open image in galleryAttorney General Wilson emphasized the investigation’s broader scope, stating, “We want to send a message that this isn’t about going after people who are trying to feed their family… This isn’t going after companies or businesses who unknowingly hiring illegal. This is about going after something much larger, you know, a conspiracy of people around South Carolina to steal identities, to create fake Social Security cards, fake driver’s license, fake immigration documents.”
Officials at Burnstein von Seelen, a metals casting business founded in 1985, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The two managers were expected to appear at the Richland County Courthouse in Columbia on Thursday to face charges of criminal conspiracy and identity fraud to obtain employment.
It remains unclear if they have legal representation.
ICE officials are currently reviewing the immigration status of the 48 detained workers, some of whom reportedly had previous encounters with ICE or had been previously ordered deported.
Authorities indicated that the investigation is ongoing, with the possibility of further indictments and arrests.
The probe began approximately two years ago. State officials initiated the investigation, with local law enforcement expressing frustration over a perceived lack of federal enforcement against false identifications and identity theft under President Joe Biden’s administration.
This dynamic shifted, according to Wilson, when President Donald Trump took office, leading to federal authorities joining the state investigation.
Prosecutor Creighton Waters noted that the investigation adopted an approach similar to drug probes, targeting not only those using phony documentation but also those supplying it.