TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - A day after dozens of construction workers were rounded up from a major work site in Tallahassee, a local attorney representing several of the men detained said the impacts from immigration raids will be felt by the entire community.

Neil Rambana has been closely following the Trump Administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants and Florida’s close role in helping detain and deport those illegally in the country.

He told WCTV Friday he wasn’t surprised to hear of the massive raid by Homeland Security Investigators and Florida Highway Patrol troopers off West Gaines Street, noting this is exactly what President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have promised.

“Promises made, promises kept. So no one should be surprised,” he said. “What was surprising was the fact that it was a $100 million project that they focused on.”

Five people were arrested and transported to the Leon County Jail following the raid Thursday, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WCTV Friday afternoon. Since then, two have bonded out of jail on resisting arrest without violence charges, with three still in custody, an LCSO spokesperson confirmed.

The subcontractor responsible for hiring any of the illegal construction site workers is being pursued by federal authorities, Gov. DeSantis announced in a social media post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday morning.

During the raid on Thursday, the workers formed lines, waiting for their immigration status to be checked by officials.

The raid resulted in the arrest “of more than 100 illegal aliens,” according to the Homeland Security Investigations Tampa. HSI Tampa also noted some had been previously deported and others had criminal backgrounds.

Rambana said anyone detained with a deportation order or a serious criminal history was not likely to see a judge or evade deportation without an attorney jumping into the fray.

But he said for those who have strong ties to the community and no criminal record, Thursday’s raid may be a “blessing in disguise.”

“Some people have been here for over 20 years and being here for that long, they’ve established some serious roots,” Rambana said. “They have substantial ties between children and families and businesses that the immigration court will actually look at that for purposes of seeing if it rises to the level of giving them an immigration benefit like a green card.”

For family or friends worried about loved ones detained, he advised them to hold out hope.

“That’s why it’s important for people not to just give up and understand that this is another step in their journey in immigration and to explore maybe there is an opportunity with this,” the attorney said.

Rambana said immigration raids have a “chilling effect” and added, “we’re going to all feel it.”

“New buildings, the landscaping, the restaurant industry, everything is being affected. Everyone is now taking a second look at whether or not they should go outside. And that’s a problem,” he said.

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Rambana heard that the effort by agents at the scene to distinguish between U.S. citizens, those in the country legally and those here illegally followed no distinct pattern.

“People that had documents at that site were being detained and those that didn’t have documents were being released, so it’s hard to say what they’re doing and how they’re exercising their discretion with those that have been released,” he said.

Still, he suggests anyone working their way through the immigration system to carry documentation that clearly explains their situation.

“I would fall back with having something that shows that you have a pending process with immigration because it gives you a fighting chance with regards to asking to be released,” he said.

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