Over 100 migrant workers were detained during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation at a construction site near Florida State University in Tallahassee.
Officials describe the raid, which was carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cooperation with the Florida Highway Patrol and several federal agencies, as one of the largest of its kind in the state.
Many of the workers were involved in the construction of the Perla at the Enclave, a $100 million student housing project. They were separated based on their immigration status and documentation.
According to eyewitnesses, law enforcement officers surrounded the scene around 9 a.m. and began checking IDs, separating people into two lines: those with papers and those without.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation served multiple search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation in the Tallahassee region,” a spokeswoman for ICE told Florida Phoenix.
Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) social media post confirmed the arrests of “more than 100 illegal aliens,” some of whom had previously been deported or had criminal records, according to the agency. Those detained come from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Colombia, and Honduras.
Fernando Sanchez, a non-detained employee, described the scene to the Tallahassee Democrat: “I wasn’t panicking, but I felt really bad for my coworkers who are just trying to make a living.” Another worker, Michael Martinez, said a similar raid took place earlier that morning at his nearby job site: “It’s just crazy how they’re doing this.”
Witnesses reported that workers were shackled, some with zip ties, and loaded onto buses with metal-covered windows. Family members gathered outside the site, attempting to obtain information about their loved ones, while some bystanders protested against law enforcement officers.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis praised the operation, calling it a “major bust” and an example of how the state is “making a huge impact,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles declared, “We will not tolerate illegal immigration.”
