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The recent immigration raids in Miami have dealt a heavy blow to the landscaping businesses, where mainly Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Cubans work.
Fulton Montoya, owner of a gardening business in Miami, stated to Telemundo 51 that in his 35 years of work, he had never experienced anything like this.
Just a month ago, his vehicle was blocked by three police cars, and his workers were taken into custody.
Montoya reported that he was driving his landscaping truck when he was surrounded by three official vehicles. "They didn't ask for documents; they went straight for my employees," he said. One of those detained, he mentioned, even had a pending asylum process.
"They come and snatch them away like criminals," she lamented after the arrest of two of her employees by ICE agents. "They are like family," she added, her voice trembling.
"We don't have employees, there is no labor. They have been detained in Florida for a month. There is no respect for the community or for legal processes," the businessman reported, expressing his feelings of helplessness regarding the situation.
"It hurt me to see them defenseless. They were just working," he emphasized.
In recent weeks, multiple residents of Miami have reported seeing vehicles from ICE or the Border Patrol in areas such as Little Havana, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Doral, Miami Beach, and Hollywood Beach.
"Today I saw them at Hollywood Beach, the first time I've seen that in this area," a woman reported on social media.
"You can't even go out in Little Havana; there are Border Patrol cars everywhere, I've been stuck at home for two days," wrote another.
The testimonies agree that the operations seem to target laborers, gardeners, and construction workers, which has intensified fear among those without immigration status.
"I have seen videos of owners crying as they took away their employees," commented a user. "It's bitter to live like this; these people are just working."
Despite the avalanche of testimonies and videos, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have not confirmed the conduct of mass operations in Miami over this past weekend, nor have they responded to inquiries from the local press.
However, previous reports from accredited media confirm that raids have indeed taken place in recent months.
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