Feds arrest 32 workers at Arlington's Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies

A federal search warrant executed Thursday at an aircraft-manufacturing plant in Arlington, part of a national effort to crack down on illegal immigrants, resulted in the arrest of 32 workers.

The search warrant was executed at Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies, a leading supplier of airplane-frame and -interior parts used by Boeing and other companies in commercial and military planes, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) news release.

The undocumented workers were from Mexico and El Salvador, ICE officials said.

Four of those arrested were released on humanitarian grounds after being interviewed, but the others were in custody at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.

The operation was part of an effort to enforce immigration laws at work sites where security-sensitive information is accessible.

ICE said the Arlington company has ties to a trade organization that oversees the export and import of certain products that could be connected with national defense.