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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that federal agents received a tip ahead of an enforcement operation that led to a supporter of President Donald Trump losing a third of his workforce.

Five workers for a roofing company in Florida were apprehended by federal immigration agents in the Lower Keys on May 27 after being stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.

“ICE received a tip about A-plus Roofing’s employment of illegal aliens in Key West, Florida,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek.

Why It Matters

Trump pledged during his campaign to remove millions of migrants without legal status as part of a hardline mass deportation policy. The White House has said anyone living in the country illegally is considered to be a “criminal.” ICE is under increasing pressure to increase arrests in response to the Trump administration’s push for expanded enforcement efforts. The government aims to deport more than a million immigrants in 2025.

Critics say the immigration raids sow fear into vulnerable communities. Now protests have erupted across the nation in response to the GOP’s core immigration policies.

Supporters of President Donald Trump confront demonstrators taking part in the “Latinos Unidos” protest against mass deportations and the Trump immigration policies in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, on February 7, 2025. Supporters of President Donald Trump confront demonstrators taking part in the “Latinos Unidos” protest against mass deportations and the Trump immigration policies in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, on February 7, 2025.

What To Know

DHS agents conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle displaying the company’s decal and discovered five employees inside who lacked legal immigration status.

ICE and Border Patrol agents confirmed that none of the five individuals had valid documentation to be in the United States and subsequently took them into federal custody, according to DHS.

DHS argued that worksite immigration enforcement helps protect all workers from exploitation and trafficking, adding that many undocumented individuals are brought into the U.S. under coercive conditions, face unsafe labor environments, and are taken advantage of by employers.

“Often times, these workers are trafficked into the U.S, forced to work in unsafe conditions, and exploited by employers. These operations protect not only American workers but also illegal aliens. President Trump will not allow criminals to abuse and exploit workers for profit,” McLaughlin said.

The employer in question initially backed the President’s core immigration policy before it landed on his doorstep.

“It’s going to be really hard to replace those guys,” Vincent Scardina, the owner of the roofing company, told NBC South Florida.

“What happened here? This situation is just totally just blatantly not at all what they said it was,” he said.

“They are legally here. They have an authorization to stay,” Regilucia Smith, the attorney for the men, told NBC South Florida.

What People Are Saying

McLaughlin told Newsweek: “ICE and Border Patrol agents confirmed all five illegal aliens had no valid documentation to be in the United States and arrested the individuals.

“The United States is offering aliens illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

Vincent Scardina, the owner of the roofing company, told NBC South Florida: “We’re not able in Key West to just replace people as easily as, say, a big city, very limited people to pull from, and then you would have to train them, and that takes sometimes years.”