Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said its agents arrested eight "illegal aliens" during a drug bust Wednesday afternoon at a restaurant in northeastern Minnesota.

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said ICE agents — along with agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Border Patrol and Internal Revenue Service — joined members of the Lake Superior Violent Offenders Task Force during an operation focused on a Hibbing business off East 18th Street and Third Avenue East.

Ramsay said one person was arrested for selling cocaine and illegal firearm possession as part of an ongoing investigation that began last month. The suspect was "also in possession of several fake identification documents," according to Ramsay.

But after the arrest, a restaurant employee told Northern News Now ICE agents began detaining anyone without proper documents. 

"The Sheriff's Office is aware that federal law enforcement took additional actions during this search warrant," Ramsay said. "The federal investigation is independent of this case; therefore we have nothing further to add."

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Minneapolis to discuss ICE operations in Minnesota, stating more than 4,300 people who were "committing crimes and here illegally in this county" have been arrested in the state since January. Noem said 3,316 of those arrestees have criminal histories. 

Noem said ICE agents have been "demonized" in Minnesota, and more agents are headed to the state.

Earlier this month, an entire four-man roofing crew was arrested by ICE agents in a private backyard in St. Paul, Minnesota. An ICE spokesperson said three of the men had criminal records and were slated to be deported.