What began as a normal workday at a metal casting factory in South Carolina ended with dozens of workers detained by federal agents and several families facing sudden uncertainty.

The operation, carried out at the Burnstein von Seelen Precision Castings plant, in the town of Abbeville, concluded with the arrest of 48 workers for alleged immigration violations and with the formal accusation of six people.

Two of the accused were company directors, investigated in the context of a case related to false documents and stolen identity. The investigation lasted almost two years and was presented by authorities as a case of organized fraud rather than a simple immigration violation.

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An investigation that ended in a raid

Dozens of federal and state agents participated in the operation carried out on Wednesday at the industrial plant in Abbeville, a small community located near the border between South Carolina and Georgia.

According to state Attorney General Alan Wilson, the investigation began in October 2024 and focused on an alleged network dedicated to obtaining and distributing false documents, including Social Security numbers, driver's licenses and other identification used to obtain employment. The defendants include the company's plant manager and human resources director.

“They went to work and couldn't come home”

While authorities defend the operation as an action against identity fraud, civil rights organizations focused on the detained workers.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of South Carolina expressed concern about the consequences for affected families and requested more information about the conditions of detentions.

“The result is that these employees showed up to work and many of them will not be able to return home to their families,” the organization's executive director, Jace Woodrum, said in a public statement.

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What the authorities say

Investigators maintain that the main target was not workers seeking employment, but rather people who allegedly provided false documentation.

“This is not about people trying to feed their families,” prosecutor Alan Wilson said in presenting the case. According to authorities, the investigation points to an alleged conspiracy dedicated to stealing identities and fabricating fraudulent documents to obtain employment.

ICE reported that it is currently reviewing the immigration status of the 48 detained workers. Among them, there would be people with previous deportation orders or history of contact with immigration authorities.

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A case that revives the immigration debate

The raid comes at a time when immigration control operations in workplaces are once again generating attention in different parts of the country.

For some officials, these operations are a tool to combat document fraud and identity theft. For immigrant advocates, the immediate impact often falls on workers and families who depend on that income to survive.

While the investigation continues and new accusations could be filed, dozens of families in Abbeville remain waiting for answers about the future of their loved ones.

Civil organizations ask for empathy and focus on the personal situation of each of the detainees: behind the numbers, the files and the official statements, there are people who went to work in the morning without imagining that they would not return home at the end of the day.