A recent operation led by the Customs Immigration and Control Service (ICE) resulted in the detention of over a hundred individuals at a construction site in Tallahassee, Florida, on the morning of Thursday, May 29. The coordinated raid, involving federal and state agents, was orchestrated by the Office of National Security Research in Tampa (HSI Tampa) as part of an ongoing investigation.

According to an agency statement, the operation aimed to “Arrest immigrants in an irregular situation, some of whom had already been previously deported or had a criminal record.” However, reports indicate that some detainees claim to have legal status in the United States.

One of the detainees,identified as Gerónimo,spoke briefly with a reporter of the Miami Herald,stating,”Thay treat us as criminals. Neither way … now we are going to return that energy to our country,” expressing his desire to return to mexico following the incident.

The operation centered on a large construction site, with reports of raids in nearby areas as well. A worker from a neighboring site mentioned that their workplace was inspected approximately an hour before the main operation.

“Many people ran. Some managed to escape, others did not have the same fate,” the worker stated.

ICE indicated that the operation involved the execution of multiple search warrants but did not specify how many arrests were pre-planned versus opportunistic.According to an agency post on X (formerly Twitter),”Illegal immigrants are from mexico,Guatemala,Nicaragua,El Salvador,Colombia and Honduras,to name a few.”

Organizations advocating for immigrants’ rights have criticized large-scale raids as an immigration control method, highlighting the fear these operations generate, even among individuals with proper documentation. even though ICE has not yet offered definitive figures or revealed the fate of the detainees, the Tallahassee operation has significantly impacted the local working community and sparked considerable reaction on social media.