SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Seventeen illegal immigrants working at the Saratoga Race Course were arrested by immigration officials and police in a raid early Tuesday.

Eleven were from Mexico, four from Chile and two from Guatemala, Saratoga Springs police Sgt. Gary Forward said. They were arrested without incident in two bunkhouses on the race course's backstretch, he said.

Two workers had outstanding orders for deportation and will be sent out of the country, said spokeswoman Amy Otten of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Several had criminal histories and will have hearings before an immigration judge. Others had no criminal records and agreed to return to their home countries, Otten said.

The New York Racing Association, which runs the track, said in a statement that none of those apprehended were NYRA employees. All those arrested had been licensed by the State Racing and Wagering Board to work at racetracks, NYRA said.

Officials did not release the names of those arrested or of the trainers who hired them.

Earlier this month, NYRA hired the private security firm of SafirRosetti, headed by former New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir. The firm was to advise NYRA on security, money handling and other matters. SafirRosetti will also be working with NYRA to help the association prevent illegal aliens from working in its stables, NYRA said.

The six-week racing meet at Saratoga starts on July 23.