Overview

• Federal agents from ICE and HSI, alongside CBP and county deputies, executed the Sept. 4 operation at Nutrition Bar Confectioners in Cato.
• Detention counts vary, with Gov. Kathy Hochul citing more than 40 people and owners and advocates reporting about 69 to 70, with some workers later released.
• A Homeland Security representative confirmed detainees from the Cato factory were taken to the Oswego County Correctional Facility.
• Witnesses reported forced entry using crowbars, masked officers in tactical gear, and workers separated by citizenship for questioning before being escorted to vans.
• Production was disrupted and families were affected, as Hochul condemned the tactics and local sheriffs said they assisted an HSI-led criminal probe without detailing alleged offenses.