Federal agents have raided the headquarters and 60 stores of US retail titan Wal-Mart, arresting more than 300 illegal immigrant workers.

The workers were part of cleaning crews hired by outside contractors, but Wal-Mart may have known about the violations, sources told the Associated Press.

“We have seen no evidence of this from the INS, and, if that turns out to be true, we will cooperate fully with law enforcement officials,” Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams was quoted by AP as saying.

The arrests were made at Wal-Mart stores in 21 US states, while boxes of documents were taken away from an executive’s office at Wal-Mart’s Bentonville headquarters.

Law enforcements sources told the Associated Press that the investigation had grown out of earlier investigations into Wal-Mart cleaning crew contractors in 1998 and 2001.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.