US immigration officials carried out a large-scale raid Tuesday at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Department of Homeland Security said it was the largest workplace enforcement operation in the state under the Trump administration.
US Representative Don Bacon told local media that 75 to 80 individuals were detained.
The company stated it had complied with federal immigration requirements, including using the E-Verify system.
Chad Hartmann, president of Glenn Valley Foods, said an ICE agent dismissed the system's reliability, calling it “broken,” and suggested he contact his congressperson.
The company said it received no prior notice of the operation.
Local Omaha police confirmed they were notified in advance by immigration authorities.
ICE claimed it had identified 107 workers suspected of using false documents.
No law enforcement personnel were injured during the raid, according to Homeland Security.
An ICE spokesperson told ABC News the action was part of an ongoing criminal investigation into what officials described as widespread unauthorized employment.
The raid follows White House pressure to accelerate arrests and deportations of undocumented migrants.
Tensions are rising nationally; protests erupted in Los Angeles over the weekend after ICE arrested migrants at several workplaces.
More than half of US meatpacking workers are immigrants, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
The ACLU of Nebraska and other rights organizations denounced the raid as heavy-handed and harmful to communities.