Atlanta ? Immigration officials have arrested 40 illegal workers hired by military contractors in three states, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Friday.

The arrests took place on Wednesday and Thursday in Georgia, Virginia and Nevada, the agency said. The workers were hired by different subcontractors, none of which faced federal charges, Rocha said.

Twenty-four illegal immigrants were arrested while trying to enter Fort Benning, Ga., on Wednesday to do construction work on barracks, said agency spokesman Richard Rocha.

Of the workers arrested, 21 were charged with identity theft and immigration violations. The three not facing criminal charges were to be placed in immigration removal proceedings.

Similar raids at military installations in Nevada and Virginia on Thursday netted 18 other arrests, including two people accused of harboring illegal aliens, agency spokesman Marc Raimondi said.