(The Center Square) – As federal immigration officers continue to conduct worksite enforcement operations, they are uncovering identity theft schemes used by illegal foreign nationals to gain employment.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations special agents, working with multiple federal, state and local law enforcement partners, executed a federal search warrant at Buckeye Fire Equipment Company in Kings Mountain on June 25 as part of an active, ongoing criminal investigation.
Investigators focused on “serious allegations of aggravated identity theft and potential federal crimes,” leading to the arrest of 30.
Among them were 28 illegal foreign nationals arrested on aggravated identity theft and other federal charges. Two were arrested on state charges.
“Identity fraud is not a victimless crime – it fuels a range of criminal activity and puts innocent people at risk,” HSI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Cardell Morant said. “Working alongside our law enforcement partners, HSI will continue to pursue those who exploit these systems for personal gain and hold them accountable under federal law.”
28 illegal aliens arrested in North Carolina worksite enforcement operation — aggravated identity theft and other federal crimes suspected.2 other subjects arrested on state charges and numerous documents seized in this ongoing investigation.Details: https://t.co/nZHQeorCQ9 pic.twitter.com/rgAviWfsdU— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) July 1, 2025
Buckeye Fire Equipment Company says it is “the top manufacturer of reliable fire protection products,” and is “family owned and operated, made in the USA since 1968.”
It has yet to respond to requests for comment from The Center Square about its hiring practices, including if it uses E-Verify, performs background checks on employees, why it hired illegal foreign nationals and if it was aware they were involved in an identity theft scheme to work there.
The worksite enforcement action was the latest among a record more than 1,000 conducted in the first few months of the Trump administration, The Center Square reported. Identity theft and Social Security fraud crimes are often committed by illegal foreign nationals working in the U.S., authorities have found.
“Worksite enforcement remains a priority for ICE as it seeks to protect the nation’s workforce, eradicate labor trafficking and hold employers accountable for practices that encourage illegal immigration. Employers found in violation of federal hiring laws may face civil penalties and, in some cases, criminal prosecution,” ICE said.
Prior to the North Carolina bust, ICE, HSI and multiple law enforcement officers arrested 70 illegal foreign nationals at Omaha-based Glenn Valley Foods last month. In this ongoing investigation, a massive identity theft scheme was uncovered “impacting unsuspecting U.S. citizens whose personal information was used by illegal aliens to gain unlawful employment at Glenn Valley Foods,” ICE said. Glenn Valley Foods workers, primarily from Honduras, used “stolen Social Security numbers and identities to unlawfully obtain wages, health benefits and employment authorization, leaving more than 100 real victims to face devastating financial, emotional and legal consequences,” ICE said.
U.S. citizens in at least five states were denied medically necessary prescriptions by their health-care provider, unable to obtain disability benefits, lost tuition assistance and couldn’t renew their driver’s licenses because their names and Social Security numbers had been used “to illegally gain employment and healthcare benefits based on fraudulent employment at Glenn Valley Foods,” The Center Square reported.
Unlike protestors in Omaha, who were arrested for attacking federal agents, protestors outside of Buckeye held Mexican flags and said they supported human rights and the Hispanic community, WRAL News reported.
While protestors claim illegal foreign nationals are honest, hard-working people who want a better life, “These so-called honest workers have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans,” ICE Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Mark Zito said. “If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant, criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is.”
“The criminals who stole these identities didn’t just break the law, they upended lives,” Zito said. Identity theft victims “aren’t faceless statistics; they’re real people who are being denied healthcare and have lost educational opportunities.”
ICE continues to urge those illegally living in the U.S. to self-deport: “If you’re illegally present in the U.S., you don’t have to – and shouldn’t – wait for ICE officials to arrest you.”
ICE is also encouraging members of the public to report suspected immigration violations and criminal activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or online.
