CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These men were all working illegally at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. Forty eight illegal aliens came for what they thought was a workplace safety seminar and instead were arrested by federal immigration agents -- a good old-fashioned federal sting that's causing a good old-fashioned turf battle in Washington.

In a statement, OSHA complained - quote -- "This is not something we were involved in, and we do not condone the use of OSHA's name in this type of activity."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged that more inter- agency coordination was needed. But ICE strongly defended its method, saying such tactics are effective and used by federal law enforcement every day.

The sting was part of a nationwide crackdown on illegal hiring at such high-risk facilities as airports and military bases. An effort, some say, that is too critical to be derailed by bureaucratic squabbling.

WILLIAM GHEEN, AMERICANS FOR LEGAL IMMIGRATION: We'd like for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to be able to arrest as many illegal aliens as they would like in the workplace, especially in our nuclear power plants and military bases, without worrying about some bureaucrat releasing their safe arrest techniques. ROMANS: The Air Force base is home to the Air Force's Fourth Fighter Wing, which includes a large number of fighter jets and other sophisticated military aircraft.

REP. JOHN DUNCAN (R), GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE: Every department and agency in the federal government should be working together and this was an effort to have stricter enforcement or better enforcement at some of our nuclear and chemical and military facilities. And certainly, I think almost everybody in the country wants stronger enforcement.