TALLAHASSEE – Federal immigration agents descended on a construction site of a new apartment near Florida State University Thursday morning.
At least 30 people were arrested, zipped and restrained in a white bus with windows, waiting to be transported to an unknown facility. Several of the detained workers spoke to reporters through grated windows and identified themselves as Nicaragians, Venezuelans, Mexicans and Honduras. One detainee said he has permanent residency in the United States.
“They treat us like criminals,” a Mexican detainee worker identified Geronimo as telling a reporter for the Miami Herald in Spanish. “Ni Modo,” he lamented that the work they do in the US is not appreciated. “We’re going to bring that energy back to our country now.”
The immigration operation led by US immigration and customs enforcement with the help of the Florida Highway Patrol is the latest example of how the Trump administration and the nation are partnering to accelerate Florida’s deportation. Since President Donald Trump took office, Gov. Ron DeSantis has sought local and state law enforcement agencies to take part in the president’s immigration crackdown, helping with statewide sweeps that have led to hundreds of arrests.
On Thursday, ICE said in a statement that authorities had gone to the construction site to provide “multiple search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation in the Tallahassee area.”
It is unclear whether all of the detained people were identified by federal authorities prior to their arrival, or whether some were caught in the surgical cross.
Faustino Macedo, a 41-year-old father with a wife and five children, a US citizen, was among those detained Thursday, his wife, Amanda Parrish, told the Herald. Macedo was in the process of getting a green card, had no criminal history and had worked for the same company for 14 years, Parrish said.
The company’s New South System did not respond to requests for comment.
Parrish witnessed her husband standing next to dozens of workers. Dozens of workers had been questioned by federal authorities, each of whom were in the position of immigration. She was standing by the fence crying, worried about her family.
“This is something I wanted not to happen,” she said in tears. “They’re not just immigrants. They have families. They’re families.”
Lila Munoz, 22, was with her brother and mother outside the construction site where her uncle and father worked. Her father was taken into custody and placed in the bus, she said. She hopes he will be released from custody as he says he goes through the legal immigration process and has evidence that he has no criminal history.
Seeing her federal authorities question workers, Munoz recalls her parents’ recent conversations with her and her two younger siblings. They wanted to prepare them for such an event.
“It hurts when a family member has to talk about this with their children,” Munoz sheds tears. “He never did anything illegal. He works hard every day to support his family.”
She said her dad’s main message was clear.
“He wanted us to get stronger,” Munoz said.
Original issue: May 30, 2025 9:28am EDT
