NEWARK, New Jersey (CNN) -- Federal officials charged 21 men Thursday with using fake Social Security and immigration status cards to obtain jobs that gave them access to high security areas at Newark International Airport. There was no indication that the case was connected to terrorists, said a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie. At least 10 of the men had been arrested by midmorning on charges that include document fraud, possessing a counterfeit Social Security number, and making false statements, said Christie's spokesman, Michael Drewniak. The suspects range in age from 21 to 56 and appeared to have predominantly Latino surnames. Some are legal permanent residents or naturalized U.S. citizens. "They do everything from housekeeping to food service and baggage handling. Some had access to international flight areas, tarmac, and planes," Drewniak said. "We have no such evidence these people were involved with a terrorist organization," he added, nor are they suspected of coordinating their alleged fraud. Most of the men lived in the Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey area. Authorities were seeking to arrest all of them Thursday. Those in custody were expected to make an initial appearance in federal court Thursday afternoon. The investigation at Newark Airport has been going on since the September 11 terrorist attacks and has involved the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Social Security Administration, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the airport, officials said. A spokesman for the Port Authority, Alan Morrison, said the bistate transportation agency strongly advocated more stringent background checks for all airport employees. Morrison said the Port Authority shares responsibility for airport security with the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration. "All these people were able to take advantage of a gross security failure at this airport. These people could come in with a bogus Social Security numbers and get employed," Drewniak said. "The upshot is, post-September 11th, anybody could do this." Roger EWROPS