Helpless. That's how Morgan Orozco says she felt standing on the other side of a caution tape line as she watched yet another busload of immigrants near Tallahassee's College Town drive away.
"As a 21-year-old girl, I had nothing in my power that I could do to stop this injustice that was happening right in front of me," Orozco says.
Law enforcement officers, some wearing masks, used zip tie handcuffs to detain more than 100 undocumented immigrants Thursday at construction sites throughout the city, including at an apartment project near Florida State University called Perla at the Enclave.
Orozco, who says one of her parents is Cuban, heard about the immigration crackdown from a friend. She says she went there hoping her presence and that of other community members might help create a greater sense of accountability for the officers involved.
"If not us, then who will?" Orozco says. "I'm always of the belief that having citizens of the community around in these types of situations, so they feel the pressure to at least act right, is always helpful and is just doing my part."
Orozco is opposed to the sweep and to many of the recent state and federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. She thinks it's wrong to remove people from their homes and says she thinks doing so "actively disadvantages the community."
"They're participating in the economy. They're supporting their families. They're models of this vision the other side likes to perpetuate of what an American should be," Orozco says.
A news release on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website says several law-enforcement agencies, including Florida Highway Patrol, were involved in the sweep. Officials say one person was taken into custody for resisting arrest and is being charged with four counts of assault on law-enforcement officers.
“These types of enforcement actions aim to eliminate illegal employment, holding employers accountable and protecting employment opportunities for America’s lawful workforce,” Nicholas Ingegno, assistant special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee, said in a prepared statement.
Governor Ron DeSantis, who has championed efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, touted the Tallahassee raid on social media saying the sweep had a "huge impact."
