Immigration operation under construction near state university separates families and sparks protests; authorities claim an active investigation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carried out a massive raid on a student housing project near Florida State University on Thursday , arresting at least 100 workers . The operation, carried out with support from the State Highway Patrol, left anguished scenes among family members who witnessed their loved ones being handcuffed with zip ties and loaded onto buses with barred windows.
According to the official statement, the action was in response to ” multiple search warrants ” as part of an active investigation, although it was not specified whether all those arrested were previously identified targets. Among those arrested was Faustino Macedo , a father of five and husband of a U.S. citizen, who, according to his family, was in the process of regularizing his immigration status.
Witnesses described workers who had been contributing to the community for years. “There’s no way… now we’re going to give that energy back to our country,” said one of the detainees, visibly shaken, from the bus. Lila Muñoz , 22, described how she waited for news of her father and uncle: “He never did anything illegal, he just worked hard to support us,” she said through tears.
This raid marks a new chapter in the close collaboration between the federal government and Governor Ron DeSantis ‘ administration to intensify immigration enforcement in Florida. This year alone, dozens of similar operations have been carried out with the support of local agencies, generating growing concern among immigrant communities.
As authorities transfer the detainees to undisclosed federal facilities, civil rights organizations are preparing legal action, and families are demanding transparency about the fate of their loved ones. The case rekindles a national debate about immigration enforcement methods and their impact on established families.
