Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were at the Dayton Cargill plant at the same time U.S. Attorney John Brownlee announced eight indictments Tuesday. ICE officials were on site all day with company representatives.
ICE in Washington D.C. could not confirm a direct link between the incident and the indictments. However, officials do say that when two incidents happen on the same day, there's often "a strong link." Brownlee agrees.
ICE confirms agents were at Cargill's Dayton Plant Tuesday. Cargill representatives wouldn't talk.
"They're threatening to fire anybody who talks to you guys, any news people," says former plant employee, Leisa Good.
Good worked at Cargill until September 2007 and was talking with employees inside the plant Tuesday.
She says, "They have them held in there and they're questioning them about things and I guess they're questioning them about their countries."
The Dayton Cargill plant is where Edwin Mendez, who was one of the eight indicted, worked. Brownlee says three illegal immigrants who also worked at the same plant say they got their counterfeit IDs from Mendez.
Cargill could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Company representatives on site did say it's business as usual.