US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents seized documents and other materials at the Koch Foods plant and at Koch Foods Inc.'s Chicago area headquarters, said a special agent in charge of ICE enforcement for Ohio and Michigan, Brian Moskowitz.

"…more than 180 Koch employees have been identified for further questioning and more than 160 have been administratively arrested for immigration violations," he said.

Monte Lobb, a Fairfield plant official, claims he has fired many employees after discovering they were illegal immigrants, adding that he has repeatedly told federal authorities he wants to cooperate.

"The government won't work with me," he said. "I'm against illegals. I'm not going to do anything to break the law, but people get false papers."

Moskowitz said most of the illegal immigrants are believed to be from Africa, Mexico and other Latin American countries. Spokesman Marc Raimondi said deportation proceedings will begin immediately in most cases.