Eleven illegal immigrants were arrested last week at the Port of Lake Charles in what the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is calling a “large-scale consensual worksite enforcement operation.”

According to the agency, the March 13 arrests were the result of an investigation into the illegal hiring of unauthorized employees by commercial and industrial general contractors currently engaged in a construction project at the port.

Under federal law, employers are required to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all individuals they hire and to document that information using the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9, ICE said.

Those arrested were from the countries of Mexico, Nicaragua and Ecuador and did not have the required documentation needed to work in the United States.

Port Executive Counsel Jonathan Ringo told the American Press that none of the arrested individuals were employed by the port.

“All were employed by various contractors or tenants working at the port,” he said.

Ringo said the port’s on-site Harbor Police Department was made aware of the operation the day of the arrests and that while their officers were present for the ICE operation, there was no specific coordination between the agencies.

Port of Lake Charles Executive Director Richert Self told the American Press that while the port does not involve itself in any way with the hiring practices and policies of its tenants, contractors and customers, “please know that the Port of Lake Charles is no sanctuary for any person who violates the law, and our Harbor Police Department will continue to assist any agency – local, state, or federal – in law enforcement as requested.”

Self said contracts and leases with the port require compliance with all local, state, and federal laws and it is expected that tenants and contractors abide by these provisions of their lease or contract.