MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Federal immigrations agents are investigating three middle Tennessee restaurants for allegedly employing illegal immigrants from various nations.

Video: Feds Make Immigration Raids In Rutherford County

The business that are being investigated are Chef Wang's restaurant in Murfreesboro, Famous Chinese in Smyrna and New Famous Chinese in Nashville.

Authorities said a total of 50 illegal aliens detained are citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, Indonesia, El Salvador and China.

According to employees, at least 12 people were taken away from Chef Wang's on Broad Street in Murfreesboro.

"Well, at first, it scared us. Because, you know, you see a bunch of cops come in…and then we were all put in one room," said Stacy Cox.

The employees said the agents came into the business at about 11 a.m. Tuesday.

"It was pretty weird. They took all the Hispanics from the back and were, like, frisking them, and they put them all in cuffs, set them down in the dining room and were talking to them in Spanish," said Brigitte Barbeau.

"It was pretty dramatic. These are people that we work with every day. You know, we’re like family here," said Cox.

Federal agents were also seen searching a home on Clark Boulevard in Murfreesboro, but it is not clear if anyone there was taken into custody.

"Pretty different day at work," Barbeau said.

"I'm very angry. I love my job here, and I don’t like it being taken away from me, but apparently there's deeper issues here," Cox said.

Employees at New Famous Chinese restaurant in Smyrna said that establishment was also investigated.

No one from the U.S. attorney's office or the immigration service would comment on the investigations.

It's not clear who the owner of Chef Wang's is, because workers told Channel 4 that was not the man's real name.