TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — State leaders and legal experts talked about immigration Tuesday and the fear that resonates in people in the Tampa Bay area.

During a town hall in Ybor City, many Democratic state leaders and immigration attorneys accused the federal government of rounding up people without due process who came to the U.S. legally and who are not criminals.

“They are hunting us Hispanics,” said one man in the crowd.

“Once you get detained, the laws are not being followed, so a lot of people are scared right now,” said Sonia Martinez with Magnified Voices.

Others argued there is a lack of humanity and said immigration is being presented as an issue of criminality.

“They believe that all these immigrants are hauling fentanyl across the border,” said Patrick Mantiega, a publisher and editor. “They say they drive badly and kill people on the highway.”

Governor Ron DeSantis spoke about the case where a semi-truck driver was charged and put into ICE custody after a crash that killed three people.

“You’re coming from India. How many other countries are you going through? And then you show up in the southern border and stay silent, like, what? Why don’t you get asylum somewhere else? So they’re abusing the process and the statutes that we have in the United States of America, and they’re trained to do this,” DeSantis said. “So to have three people killed, so senseless, so absolutely enraging to see this happening, knowing that none of this, that all this could have been prevented.”

Legal experts at the town hall said it’s important for people to know the facts.

“Being an immigrant is not a criminal offense. Coming in through the border is not a criminal offense. Coming in through the border and seeking asylum is a legal and international human right,” said Danielle Hernandez, an immigration attorney.

The Trump Administration said it’s working to restrict entry of foreign nationals to protect the United States from foreign, national, and public safety threats.

“We’ve got to bring sanity to this and rather than play off of people’s fear and prejudices,” said U.S. Representative Kathy Castor.