Dozens of construction workers detained in Tallahassee immigration raid
Federal immigration agents descended on a construction site for new apartment buildings near Florida State University on Thursday morning, rounding up dozens of workers as distraught family members, friends and colleagues watched them be questioned and detained by authorities.
At least 30 people were arrested, zip-tied and held inside a white bus with barred windows, waiting to be transported to an unknown facility. Some of the detained workers spoke to reporters through the grated windows, identifying themselves as Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Mexicans and Hondurans. One of the detainees said he had permanent residency in the United States.
'They treat us like criminals,' a detained worker from Mexico who identified himself as Geronimo told a Miami Herald reporter in Spanish. 'Ni modo,' he said lamenting that the work they do in the U.S. is not appreciated. 'We are now going to go put that energy back into our country.'
The immigration operation — led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the help of Florida Highway Patrol — is the latest example of how the Trump administration and the state are partnering to accelerate deportations in Florida. Since President Donald Trump took office, Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed local and state law enforcement agencies to join the president's immigration crackdown, and helped in a statewide sweep that led to hundreds of arrests.
On Thursday, ICE said in a statement that authorities went to the construction site to serve 'multiple search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation in the Tallahassee region.'
It is unclear whether all of those detained were identified by federal authorities prior to their arrival, or if some were caught in the cross-hairs of the operation.
IMMIGRATION: Activists supporting immigrants' rights are celebrating this act by Ron DeSantis
Faustino Macedo, a 41-year-old father whose wife and five children are U.S. citizens, was among those detained on Thursday, his wife, Amanda Parrish, told the Herald. Macedo was in the process of getting a green card, did not have a criminal background and had worked for the same company for 14 years, Parrish said.
The company, New South Systems, did not respond to a request seeking comment.
Parrish witnessed her husband stand for hours next to dozens of workers, each of whom were being questioned by federal authorities about their immigration status. She stood by a fence crying and worrying about her family.
'This is what I was hoping would not happen,' she said in tears. 'They are not just immigrants. They have families. They are family.'
Lila Munoz, 22, was with her brother and mother outside of the construction site where her uncle and dad were working. Her father was detained and put inside the bus, she said. She is hopeful he will be released from custody because she said there is proof that he was going through the legal immigration process and that he has no criminal record.
As she watched federal authorities question workers, Munoz recalled a conversation her parents recently had with her and her two younger siblings. They wanted to prepare them for such an event.
'It hurts that families have to talk about this with their kids,' Munoz said in tears. 'He had never done anything illegal. He just works hard every day to support his family.'
She said her dad's main message was clear.
'He wanted us to be strong,' Munoz said.
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