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,” said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge.  “This investigation is directly tied to ICE’s effort to target those who violate our country’s employment laws.”

ICE was assisted in their investigation by the Metro Violent Crimes and Gang Task Force based in Nampa, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Idaho Truss released a statement saying they had followed employment law completely, that each employee was fully documented in their files, and that pay and taxes had been accurately reported.

The company statement said, "The employees which were detained were found to have provided false statements and false documentation to Idaho Truss, and Idaho Truss has been fully cooperating with the ICE investigation of this