Immigration officials detain 16 illegal workers in Nampa

12/04/2008 12:30 PM MST

KTVB

BOISE -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 16 Mexican nationals Thursday morning for immigration violations at a Nampa wood framing company.

All of the illegal workers are male and were employed by Idaho Truss. They will be placed in deportation proceedings.

Officials say the arrests are part of an ongoing investigation.

All of those taken into custody were fingerprinted and photographed. They were also interviewed by ICE agents to determine if they had any medical, caregiver or other humanitarian issues.

The investigation began after agents reviewed employment records of individuals who were helping build military housing at Mountain Home Air Force Base. Some of those workers secured employment using false Social Security numbers and other counterfeit identity documents.

“The lure of jobs in the United States continues to be one of the primary factors fueling illegal immigration,â€