Twenty-seven construction workers repairing fire damage at Texas A&M University-Kingsville were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 26 during a federal operation targeting suspected employment violations. As of June 30, twenty-two of the detained individuals remain in ICE custody, according to a spokesperson from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The laborers were not university employees but worked for Cotton Commercial, a private contractor hired to complete remediation work following a fire that damaged the Memorial Student Union on campus in late May.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained 27 laborers working for a contractor to complete repairs to a fire-damaged building at Texas A&M University-Kingsville on June 26.”

According to ICE, the “worksite enforcement operation” was tied to “suspected violations of U.S. employment law” involving the contractor. The enforcement action was not related to the university itself or any of its employees or students.

At approximately 7 a.m. on June 26, federal agents arrived on campus to carry out the operation. Texas A&M-Kingsville confirmed their presence and stated that university police were on site “to ensure campus security” during the two-hour investigation.

“The individuals detained were working for contractor Cotton Commercial. They are not university employees or students,” the university clarified in a statement.

Cotton Commercial had been contracted to repair part of the second floor of the Memorial Student Union, which suffered fire damage on May 25. The building is a central hub for students and faculty, housing dining services, the campus bookstore, university offices, and a post office.

On the day of the incident, the university notified the campus community that federal agents had been on site and noted that the contractor anticipated the return of the detained individuals to the work site. Cotton Commercial has not responded to media requests for comment.

“According to the email from Homeland Security Investigations, 27 were taken into ICE custody to be processed for ‘administrative immigration violations’ and 22 individuals remain in ICE custody pending disposition of their immigration proceedings.”

The arrests come amid a broader federal crackdown. ICE noted in a separate statement that it had “ramped up arrests and removals” under former President Donald Trump’s administration. Between January 20 and mid-April of that year, HSI arrested over 1,000 undocumented workers and proposed more than $1 million in fines against employers.

These enforcement actions come against the backdrop of broader immigration trends in the state. According to Pew Research Center, about 8% of Texas households included an undocumented immigrant in 2022, highlighting the complexities of labor, legality, and enforcement in a state with a large immigrant workforce.

As the investigation continues, the fate of the remaining 22 workers remains uncertain, while questions linger around the oversight of federal contractors and the impacts on local construction projects and university operations.

Originally reported by Olivia Garrett in Caller Times.