Tampa Construction Sites in Disarray after Feds Arrest Dozens of Undocumented Immigrant Workers: 'It's Like a Ghost Town Out Here'

Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa conduct worksite enforcement HSI Tampa X accout

Federal immigration authorities in Tampa arrested more than two dozen undocumented immigrants at construction sites this week, part of a broader enforcement initiative led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in the city. The individuals arrested were from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

The operation, announced via HSI Tampa's official X account, included collaboration with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the Miami office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It followed a similar raid days earlier in Puerto Rico, where 53 undocumented Dominican nationals were taken into custody at a hotel construction site in San Juan.

HSI described the Florida action as part of an effort to ensure compliance with federal laws and regulations in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.

BREAKING! @HSITampa @EROMiami @FLHSMV has arrested more than two dozen illegal aliens (some previously deported) at construction sites in Wildwood, Florida, during worksite enforcement encounters today! The illegal aliens are from Mexico, Guatemala & Honduras. @OfficialBOP pic.twitter.com/daQqf1Grq5
— HSI Tampa (@HSITampa) May 13, 2025

The operation caused noticeable disruption across construction sites in The Villages, where multiple workers abandoned job sites after word of the arrests took place, as Orlando's WKMG 6 reports. "I could hear them say, 'Hey, can I have a green card?'" said Richard Luke Hadwin, a worker contracted to a home construction site.

Hadwin also described the agents arriving in unmarked cars, wearing tactical vests and some with masks. "It's like a ghost town out here now," he added.

Andy Adamic, a homeowner whose new house was under construction, said he was surprised by the action and found the situation difficult to reconcile. "I feel sorry for them," Adamic said. While he supports strict border enforcement, he acknowledged the hard work the subcontractors had been doing.

The mentioned Puerto Rico raid took place on May 8 at the Hotel La Concha Renaissance construction site in Condado. Special Agent Rebecca González-Ramos confirmed the individuals targeted lacked identification and legal status. "We're going to determine if anyone is in violation of a criminal offense in order to bring federal charges," she said.

So far in 2025, HSI Puerto Rico has arrested 364 undocumented individuals, most of them Dominican nationals. Of those, 67 face criminal charges.