Immigrant Arrests Soar in Florida: Unique Collaboration between ICE and Local Police Results in Approximately 800 Detentions
Rewritten Article:
Over the past weekend, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Florida law enforcement took part in a massive, multi-agency immigration enforcement operation, dubbed "Operation Tidal Wave," arresting nearly 800 individuals across the state. This venture marked a new level of partnership between state and federal agencies.
Ice's Miami office lauded the operation as "exceptionally successful," and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) highlighted the collaboration as a "preview of what is to come around the country: large-scale operations that involve state and local law enforcement in getting criminal illegal aliens off our streets."
Florida's Governor, Ron DeSantis, congratulated the team effort in a statement, praising it as an "example of FL and (the Department of Homeland Security) partnering to deliver big results on immigration enforcement and deportations." This triumphant operation was the latest move in Trump's ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration, as the Department of Justice prepares to prosecute state and local officials accused of obstructing these efforts.
In January 2023, several Florida statewide agencies - such as the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida State Guard, the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission - joined forces with ICE under the 287(g) Program. This initiative enables local authorities to be trained by and cooperate with ICE in enforcing aspects of US immigration law.
According to DeSantis' announcement in February, more than 200 state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies across Florida have entered into collaboration agreements with ICE, with over 70 others awaiting approval. Universities in the state, including their campus police, have also signed these agreements, causing international students to express concern over their status amid the Trump administration's revocation of hundreds of student visas at colleges across the country.
Many local leaders in Florida signed cooperation agreements with ICE reluctantly. For instance, the city council in the Miami suburb of Doral - home to the largest Venezuelan immigrant population in the nation - unanimously approved an ICE collaboration agreement. However, they made it clear that the action was mandated by state law, and they were threatened with criminal penalties if they refused. Thomas Kennedy, spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, characterized this operation as an effort by state government to "force local police departments to conduct immigration enforcement."
Some communities feel the flurry of arrests is designed to "create fear" so that undocumented immigrants self-deport. Kennedy warned that the immigration crackdown will "create a less friendly, less welcoming, more prosecutory state," where labor shortages increase, communities are less safe because they're afraid to report crime, and police departments are overburdened performing duties that they shouldn't.
For example, last month Fort Myers city council members initially voted against the ICE collaboration but reversed their decision after receiving a letter from Florida's attorney general, threatening removal from office. The attorney general called the initial refusal a "serious and direct violation" of Florida law that bans "sanctuary cities."
The US Justice Department has repeatedly asserted that it will investigate any local officials who do not assist federal authorities on immigration matters. Last week, a Milwaukee County Circuit judge, Hannah Dugan, was arrested by the FBI and charged in federal court for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest. Dugan's attorney stated that her arrest was "not made in the interest of public safety."
In court, Dugan's attorney expressed regret for her arrest, stating, "Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest." Meanwhile, former New Mexico magistrate judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were accused of tampering with evidence linked to the arrest of an undocumented migrant. This case underscores the Trump administration's aggressive approach to immigration enforcement.
- The recent "Operation Tidal Wave" in Florida, a collaboration between US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), state law enforcement, and local agencies, was part of the Trump administration's policy-and-legislation on immigration enforcement, known for its deportations and focus on criminal illegal aliens.
- The success of Operation Tidal Wave has led to speculation about future large-scale operations, potentially involving more state and local law enforcement agencies in immigration enforcement operations.
- The Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, praised the Operation Tidal Wave as a result of the partnership between Florida and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in carrying out immigration operations.
- Critics, such as Thomas Kennedy from the Florida Immigrant Coalition, have accused the Florida state government of forcing local police departments to conduct immigration enforcement, which could lead to a less welcoming and more prosecutory state, causing fear among undocumented immigrants and potential labor shortages.
