Nearly three dozen illegal aliens were apprehended during a targeted worksite enforcement operation in a rapidly-growing Florida community this week.
On Tuesday, a coalition of state and federal agencies swarmed construction sites in Wildwood, a city in Sumter County near Ocala.
Officers and agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Florida Highway Patrol, and the U.S. Marshals Service interviewed hundreds of workers and identified 33 who were in the U.S. illegally, including four who were previously deported.
During the operation, more than 30 workers were caught attempting to flee the scene.
The illegal aliens were identified as citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Four of the illegals have been charged with felony reentry after removal.
The major bust comes just days after more than 1,000 illegal aliens were rounded up across Florida in a single week.
Federal and state agencies teamed up to launch Operation Tidal Wave, apprehending 1,120 illegal aliens in the Sunshine State in late April.
“Last week’s groundbreaking Florida operation was the highest yielding weeklong operation any state has seen in ICE’s entire history,” ICE explained in a statement earlier this month.