OREGON - Temporary employees arrived Wednesday at a local food processing plant after an immigration raid Tuesday netted 167 illegal workers -- an operation that angered Portland’s Catholic Archdiocese and the mayor.

The Archbishop of Portland John Vlazny issued a statement Wednesday concerning the raid. He called the raid "an affront to a nation whose tradition has always welcomed the stranger in search of the security and livelihood which he cannot find in the country of his origin."

More: Read the Archbishop's statement

KGW Sky 8 photo

Federal agents raided offices of American Staffing Resources and a Fresh Del Monte Produce plant in North Portland looking for evidence of illegal workers and identification fraud.

Mayor Tom Potter said he was angered by the operation and added that he supported three ID theft arrests, but not the seizure of the workers.

“To go after local workers who are here to support their families while filling the demands of local businesses for their labor is bad policy,” Potter said in a statement.

Also: Read the mayor's statement

A local union president however, defended the raid, saying the business was doing what amounted to taking jubs away from oregonians by hiring illegal workers.

"It's irresponsible for corporations like Fresh Del Monte to import workers when Oregon has plenty of skilled food processing workers right here at home," Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain said.

"Ironically, many of our best food processing workers have seen their jobs outsourced to Mexico in recent years."

More: Read the union statement

The raid was the culmination of a six-month investigation. In January, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials said they sent an undercover informant to one of the fruit and vegetable processing plants, where they said he told managers he was an illegal immigrant and did not have the proper paperwork to be employed in the U.S.

Agents said an American Staffing Resources, Inc. employee gave him a fake Social Security card, and later provided him with counterfeit Social Security cards and counterfeit Resident Alien cards for other workers.

According to federal officials, at least 90 percent of the workers at the plants had false identification. Some had criminal records and had been deported in the past.

New workers showing up at the plant Wednesday said they were from a temp agency and did not know how long their term of employment would last at the plant.

A spokesperson for ICE said their goal was not to shut down the businesses, but to hold employers accountable for illegal hiring practices.

The three indicted were Jose de Jesus Zarazua-Lopez, accused of re-entering the United States illegally after being convicted of heroin charges and deported to Mexico; Jose Dejesus Buenrostro, accused of encouraging an illegal immigrant; and Margarita Amezcua-Salvador, accused of possessing counterfeit alien registration documents, identity theft, selling a Social Security card, and encouraging an illegal immigrant.

“Today’s enforcement action is part of ICE’s continued efforts to investigate employers who facilitate the hiring of undocumented workers,” Leigh Winchell, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Seattle, said. “No employer, regardless of industry or location is immune from complying with the nation’s laws.”

Agents said the fake S.S. numbers were either made up or stolen.

Among the stolen documents;

-Seven people who were 60 or older and receiving disability benefits;

-13 people more than 70 years old;

-18 juveniles;

-29 dead people.

The unauthorized workers were being interviewed and medically screened in Portland by federal officials, then taken to the ICE processing facility in Tukwila, Washington and later appear before an immigration judge.

ICE set up a 24-hour toll-free hotline for family members of the unauthorized workers -- (866) 341-3858.