The sweep was conducted between 6 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. when most of the thousand soldiers and civilian workers who live off the post enter the gates. Officials said the vast majority of the detainees were construction workers.
"Today's operation was part of our ongoing force protection measures," said Tom McCollum with Fort Bragg's Public Affairs Office. "The operation went very smoothly. There were no incidents or accidents."
In addition, four individuals were arrested on drug possession charges and 14 vehicles were impounded, McCollum said.
Some of the people detained were from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, ICE spokesman Marc Raimondi said.
People trying to enter Fort Bragg with false IDs can be charged with criminal trespass and presenting false identification, McCollum said. The garrison commander also can prevent contractors who knowingly hire such people from working at the base.
In the past year, more than 150 people have been detained as they tried to enter Fort Bragg without proper ID, McCollum said. The base is home to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and the 82nd Airborne Division.
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