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4w ago

Florida’s Operation Tidal Wave Nets Over 1,100 Arrests in Record Immigration Crackdown

Governor DeSantis and DHS tout the initiative as a model for nationwide enforcement, while critics raise concerns about racial profiling and constitutional overreach.

Posters of alleged criminals who officials said were arrested in a recent immigration enforcement operation are reflected in a Department of Homeland Security vehicle during a press conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis at the South Florida office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Miramar, Florida.
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FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference on immigration enforcement at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection hangar on Homestead Air Force Base, Feb. 26, 2025, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Overview

  • Operation Tidal Wave, a joint federal-state-local immigration effort, resulted in 1,120 arrests across Florida in less than a week, the largest single-state operation in ICE history.
  • The campaign leveraged expanded 287(g) agreements, which deputize local and state officers to enforce federal immigration law, with Florida leading the nation in participation.
  • Governor Ron DeSantis has requested federal approval to deputize Florida National Guard Judge Advocate Generals as immigration judges and expand detention facilities to expedite deportations.
  • Arrests included individuals with final orders of removal, criminal convictions, and alleged gang affiliations, with detainees primarily from Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras.
  • Civil rights advocates, including the ACLU of Florida, have criticized the operation as fostering racial profiling and creating fear among immigrant communities.