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Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
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.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration sends 68 immigrants back to Honduras and Colombia on first self-deportation flight
The Trump administration has orchestrated the first repatriation flight of migrants it claims were part of a group of 68 voluntary deportations. The migrants were sent back to Colombia and Honduras on Monday on the first self-deportation flight funded by the government. Thirty-eight Hondurans, including 19 children, were sent to San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras after they were handed $1,000 debit cards from the U.S. government and the offer to apply for legal entry into the U.S. in the future. President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to conduct 'mass deportations' during his second stint in the White House. Experts believe that the offer to self-deport won't encounter high demand and is only set to attract a small number of migrants already thinking about going back. The offer to self-deport comes as the government has also conducted high-profile migrant detentions in the U.S. and as it has flown hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to a top-security prison facility in El Salvador. Kevin Antonio Posadas, from the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, had lived in Houston for three years and had already thought about returning to Honduras when the Trump administration revealed its new self deportation offering. 'I wanted to see my family and my mom,' he said, noting how easy the process was. 'You just apply (through the CBP Home app) and in three days you've got it,' he added. The flight departed Houston early on Monday. 'It's good because you save the cost of the flight if you have the intention of leaving,' he said. Posadas added that he hadn't been worried about deportation, and while he had enjoyed living in the U.S., he had been considering leaving for some time. He said he would eventually think about taking up the offer for those who choose to leave of their own volition to apply to enter the U.S. legally. Announcing the Monday flight, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that 'If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home. If you don't, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation, and will never be allowed to return.' The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that a further 26 migrants on the flight were being taken to Colombia. Antonio Garcia, the Honduran deputy foreign minister, said the government would give the returning migrants $100 in cash and a $200 credit at a government-run store that sells basic goods. He added that four of the children arriving in Honduras on Monday had been born in the U.S. Garcia met the arriving migrants at the airport and said they had told him that being undocumented in the U.S. had grown increasingly challenging, and that the situation was becoming more hostile. They were concerned about going to work. Wilson Paz, the Honduran immigration director, said that fewer Hondurans have been sent back so far compared to last year, noting that 13,500 have been deported this year, compared to more than 15,000 by the same time the previous year. 'I don't think it will be thousands of people who apply for the program,' said Paz. 'Our responsibility is that they come in an orderly fashion, and we support them.' The Associated Press contributed to this report
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How does voluntary deportation work under the Trump administration?
The first flight under the Trump administration's Project Homecoming on Monday sent 64 immigrants from Honduras and Colombia back to their home country. The government-funded flight is one tactic in President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. What the Department of Homeland Security is calling a 'historical opportunity' for immigrants, the self-deportation program promises illegal immigrants financial assistance for their departure and compensation for removing themselves voluntarily, as opposed to law enforcement. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted on social media that using the CBP Home app to self-deport and 'take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home' is ultimately a better alternative than being 'subjected to fines, arrest, deportation' and never allowed to return to the U.S., even legally. According to the DHS press release, 38 of the 64 participants were returned to Honduras, and 26 to Colombia. In addition to the U.S. stipend, Hondurans were allowed 'the Honduran government's 'Hermano, Hermana, Vuelve a Casa' program, which includes an additional $100 bonus for people over 18, food vouchers and assistance in finding employment, and the Colombians were 'provided social services from the Family Welfare Institute (ICBF), and the Department of Social Prosperity" by the Colombia government upon arrival. Since the Trump administration launched the self-deportation program, skeptics have criticized it, noting that they don't anticipate many illegal immigrants will take up the offer. In a recent America's Voice en Español column, the publication's senior adviser, Maribel Hastings, said the self-deportation program is a means for Trump to boost the deportation numbers he campaigned on, and the fact that under the Biden administration, more illegal immigrants were deported at this time last year (192,000) than Trump's administration currently has (152,000). 'That is why Trump even wants to deport people who are authorized to be in the country, some in the process of obtaining asylum, as well as students on visas, for opposing the administration's policies,' Hastings wrote. 'Undocumented people who have spent their whole lives contributing billions of dollars to the economy, to the fabric of this country, who work in key industries, and who have citizen children and grandchildren, deserve to be legalized. Not given $1,000 and a one-way ticket to self-deport.' Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote in an article published by MSNBC, that anyone considering the self-deportation program should speak with an attorney first. 'Leaving the country may mean giving up on a very real chance at staying here legally under laws and processes that already exist,' he said. 'Given this, it's critical for anyone considering taking this offer to speak with a qualified and competent attorney first.' The 10-step process on the DHS website begins with downloading their app. This is what the steps look like: Download the CBP Home App. Sign in using Select the departing traveler. Select intent to depart. Take a photo of yourself. Complete personal information. Answer questions regarding passports and financial needs. Submit to CBP Home. Receive confirmation. Report if any assistance is required in departing. Kevin Antonio Posadas, who is originally from Honduras but has been living in Texas for the last three years, told The Associated Press that when the Trump administration made the announcement, he had already considered going home to be with family. 'I wanted to see my family and my mom,' he said, noting that the process was easy. 'You just apply (through the CBP Home app) and in three days you've got it,' he said. 'It's good because you save the cost of the flight if you have the intention of leaving.'
NBC News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
U.S. sends 68 migrants back to Honduras and Colombia in first voluntary deportation
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — The United States sent 68 immigrants from Honduras and Colombia back to their countries Monday on the first government-funded flight of what the Trump administration is calling voluntary deportations. In the northern Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, 38 Hondurans, including 19 children, disembarked from the charter flight carrying $1,000 debit cards from the U.S. government and the offer to one day be allowed to apply for legal entry into the U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to increase deportations substantially. Experts believe the self-deportation offer will only appeal to a small portion of migrants already considering return, but unlikely to spur high demand. The offer has been paired with highly-publicized migrant detentions in the U.S. and flying a couple hundred Venezuelan migrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Kevin Antonio Posadas, from Tegucigalpa, had lived in Houston for three years, but had already been considering a return to Honduras when the Trump administration announced its offer. 'I wanted to see my family and my mom,' said Posadas, who added that the process was easy. 'You just apply (through the CBP Home app ) and in three days you've got it,' he said. The flight left Houston early Monday. 'It's good because you save the cost of the flight if you have the intention of leaving.' Posadas said he hadn't feared deportation and liked living in the U.S., but had been thinking for some time about going home. He said eventually he would consider taking up the U.S. government's offer of allowing those who self-deport to apply to enter the United States legally. In a statement about the flight Monday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, 'If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home. If you don't, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation and will never be allowed to return.' Twenty-six more migrants aboard the flight were headed home to Colombia, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security statement. Honduras Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio García said the Honduran government would also support the returning migrants with $100 cash and another $200 credit at a government-run store that sells basic necessities. Among the migrants arriving voluntarily Monday were four children who were born in the United States, García said. García, who met the arriving migrants at the airport, said they told him that being in the U.S. without documents required for legal immigration or residence had been increasingly difficult, that things were growing more hostile and they feared going to work. Still, the number of Hondurans deported from the U.S. so far this year is below last year's pace, said Honduras immigration director Wilson Paz. While about 13,500 Hondurans have been deported from the U.S. this year, the figure stood at more than 15,000 by this time in 2024, Paz said. He didn't expect the number to accelerate much, despite the Trump administration's intentions. Some would continue applying to self-deport, because they feel like their time in the U.S. is up or because it's getting harder to work, he said. 'I don't think it will be thousands of people who apply for the program,' Paz said. 'Our responsibility is that they come in an orderly fashion and we support them.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
First ‘self-deportation' flight from US lands in Honduras – with US citizen children aboard
The first flight carrying migrants who chose to self-deport from the United States as part of a new Department of Homeland Security initiative offering free flights and $1,000 stipends has landed in Honduras. A group of 38 Hondurans arrived at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport on Monday afternoon after applying through a mobile app provided by US Customs and Border Protection, Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio García said. 'There was a bit of everything. There were mothers with children. Each one was given $1,000, including the children,' García told reporters at the airport, saying that up to 19 children had arrived. At least four of the children were born in the US and one was born in Mexico. They left the US with their Honduran relatives to avoid family separation, according to Honduran Migration Director Wilson Paz Reyes. 'In this case, the US makes the decision, along with their families, that they return to the country so that family disintegration does not occur,' he said. One of those deported, Wilson Sáenz, said that after he requested to be removed, authorities flew him to a hotel in Houston, Texas, and from there, he was dropped off at an airport and provided food before his flight home. Another, Kevin Posadas, said that after applying for self-deportation, officials messaged migrants telling them when to present themselves, and 'depending on what state they're in, they move them to a place that's closer to send them to Honduras.' The flight carried 64 people, according to a Homeland Security official. It is expected to continue to Colombia to drop off the remaining migrants who opted for self-deportation, García said. 'Today, DHS conducted its first Project Homecoming charter flight of 64 individuals who voluntarily chose to self-deport to their home counties of Honduras and Colombia,' Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem said. 'If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home.' The US Department of Homeland Security announced on May 5 that it would offer undocumented immigrants financial and travel assistance to facilitate their return home through the CBP Home app, through which people can notify the government that they intend to leave the US voluntarily. Any undocumented immigrant who uses the app to self-deport will receive a stipend of $1,000, to be paid after they confirm their return home through the app, according to the DHS. The DHS says the initiative will cut deportation costs, which it says currently average more than $17,000 per case. Those who sign up for self-deportation through CBP Home will also be deprioritized for detention and removal, 'as long as they demonstrate they are making meaningful strides in completing that departure,' according to the DHS, which portrays the procedure as a 'dignified' and safe way to leave. 'If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home. If you don't, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation and will never be allowed to return,' Noem said. The app was previously called CBP One and was used by Customs and Border Protection to schedule arrivals for people seeking asylum during the Biden administration. The self-deportation initiative is part of a $200 million DHS ad campaign pressuring undocumented migrants to leave the US and 'stay out.' CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, Ivonne Valdés, Ana Melgar contributed to this report.
