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U.S. Attorney John Sarcone announced the outcome of a "major worksite enforcement operation" at Nutrition Bar Confectioners in the town of Ira. He said the 57 workers detained during the raid were "unlawfully present in this country." Most are being returned to their country of origin, according to Sarcone.

The five workers charged with illegally reentering the U.S. were identified in criminal complaints as Gregorio Baldemar Ramirez-Perez, Alex Ben Chipin, Luis Fernando Morales-Jom, Argentina Juarez-Lopez and Francisco Salvador-Mora. They are being held to face prosecution.

Four of the workers — Chipin, Juarez-Lopez, Morales-Jom and Ramirez-Perez — are citizens of Guatemala who federal authorities say were previously removed from the U.S. for illegally entering the country. Salvador-Mora is a Mexico citizen, according to federal agents, and was removed from the U.S. after being found in the country illegally in 2022.

None of the defendants have been charged with any other crimes, including violent offenses, according to a review of the complaints.

However, illegal reentry into the U.S. is considered a felony. After the raid at Nutrition Bar Confectioners, Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said his agency was asked to assist with the execution of a warrant seeking "evidence in support of an investigation into felony-level crimes."

Those alleged crimes, until now, were not disclosed.

Nearly 70 employees at Nutrition Bar Confectioners were detained by federal agents, according to Lenny Schmidt, one of the company's owners. Some of the employees were released and returned to work. 

But at least five workers were deported to Guatemala. Ana Mendez Vasquez, western New York regional coordinator for the Rural & Migrant Ministry, told ÓÐÁϺÐ×Ó that two of the employees had active work permits.

The criminal complaints detail why the five workers were charged with illegally reentering the U.S.

Federal agents say Chipin illegally crossed into the U.S. and was arrested on Sept. 12, 2012 near Eagle Pass, Texas. Chipin was removed from the U.S. later that month.

Six years later, in May 2018, Chipin was arrested again near Sasabe, Arizona, and removed from the country, agents said.

According to the criminal complaint, Ramirez-Perez was found to be in the U.S. illegally in February 2018 near Sasabe, Arizona, and removed from the country that month.

Authorities say Salvador-Mora illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 and was removed on an ICE flight to Mexico. Juarez-Lopez and Morales-Jom entered the country illegally in 2024, according to the complaints against them, and were removed shortly after their arrival.

The presence of those who were in the country illegally "undermines the security of our borders and safety of our communities," Sarcone said at a news conference Tuesday.

Sarcone did not say whether Nutrition Bar Confectioners will face federal charges, though he warned employers against hiring immigrants who are in the country illegally. He said knowingly hiring someone who is in the country illegally is a "serious offense."