BROOKS, Ore. — A reported immigration arrest in the parking lot of NORPAC’s food-processing plant sent about 30 workers running from the facility Thursday, with some hiding in nearby woods, according to Danny Paniagua, a human resources coordinator at the plant. Paniagua said the workers were about three hours from the end of their day shift when word spread that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were on the property. Several black SUVs converged on a red car in the parking lot, he said. Agents handcuffed a woman from the car and took her away. Paniagua said he did not believe the woman or the man with her was a NORPAC employee. The arrival of the agents triggered panic across a shift of roughly 300 people, Paniagua said. About 30 workers ran out through the facility’s back door and across a field to a wooded area. After the agents left, Paniagua and supervisors walked to the woods and called for the workers to return. Some came back crying or wanting to go home, he said. The episode also affected later shifts. About 20 workers left early, Paniagua said, and roughly 20 others called out between the swing shift, which starts at 3 p.m., and the overnight shift, which starts at 11 p.m. Many workers at the facility are employed through temporary staffing agencies, he said. NORPAC processes and packages fruits, vegetables and soups. Paniagua said the loss of workers slowed production lines and could delay shipments to customers, which he identified as including Starbucks, Fred Meyer, Safeway, Target and Walmart. “It’s just like a domino effect,” Paniagua said, describing the consequences of production lines falling behind. He said the workers’ fear and the disruption at the plant were difficult to witness. Fernando Barajas, a real estate agent who went to the facility after his brother, a NORPAC employee, called in a panic, said he saw four or five black SUVs in the lot. Barajas said he recorded the scene on his phone and that agents pushed him and threatened to spray him. His brother is a U.S. citizen, Barajas said, but was frightened by the commotion. The incident comes as Oregon has seen an increase in immigration arrests and federal officials have said they plan to intensify enforcement in sanctuary jurisdictions. A local activist said arrests also took place this week at a roofing-supply company and a landscaping business in Salem. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Oregon Potato Company, which owns NORPAC, did not provide a response to a request for comment. Paniagua said the workers who fled gradually returned after he and supervisors assured them they were safe. He urged people to support one another amid uncertainty, saying that fear at work affects not only those directly targeted but their co-workers and the wider community.