Staff Report / September 12, 2026
SYRACUSE – The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and the Worker Justice Center of New York filed a federal class-action lawsuit on Thursday, September 10, against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following an immigration raid at a Cayuga County food manufacturing facility.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, stems from a September 4, 2025, operation at the Nutrition Bar Confectioners factory in Cato. According to the complaint, roughly 60 armed and masked federal agents from ICE, CBP, and HSI, supported by local sheriff’s deputies, entered the building using crowbars, blocked facility exits, and ordered employees off production lines.
The legal filing alleges that federal agents engaged in ethnic profiling and mass warrantless detentions in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment. More than 100 workers, including naturalized U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, were held in an unconditioned break room and subjected to aggressive interrogations based primarily on their appearance and spoken language.
Key details and legal aspects highlighted in the court filing include:
- Defendants Named: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
- Bodycam Evidence: Court exhibits include unredacted body camera video showing agents using derogatory language, making remarks comparing workers to animals, and forcing open locked bathroom doors with occupants inside.
- Criminal Charges Dropped: While 57 workers were initially detained, four individuals who faced federal charges for illegal reentry subsequently had their cases dismissed by prosecutors.
- State Bivens Act Application: The suit invokes New York’s recently enacted Bivens Act, a state law permitting victims of constitutional violations to sue federal officials directly in court.
- Relief Sought: Plaintiffs are seeking a formal injunction against workplace dragnet operations, damages for civil rights violations, and court orders facilitating the return of a deported local father to his family.
