More than two dozen undocumented immigrants were arrested at construction sites in Wildwood, Florida, following an operation by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), according to reports from HSI Tampa.
The operation, which took place on Tuesday, targeted construction sites in Sumter County. A video posted by HSI Tampa on X (formerly Twitter) showed agents walking through a construction site, though no arrests were shown in the clip. The individuals arrested came from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, with some having been previously deported, HSI stated.
While the exact number of arrests and specific charges were not immediately disclosed, HSI mentioned that Florida has become one of the fastest-growing regions in the U.S. for immigration enforcement, and the agency was investigating whether construction companies were employing undocumented workers.
This operation comes amid broader immigration enforcement efforts in the state. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that more than 100 Florida Highway Patrol troopers had been sworn in as special deputy U.S. Marshals to carry out immigration enforcement independently from the federal government. The state has also signed agreements with HSI to assist in enforcement operations.
As of now, it remains unclear if other construction sites across Florida were involved in similar operations.
