MIRAMAR, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Miramar on Thursday morning.
He spoke at the ICE-ERO Center in Miramar, located at 2805 SW 145th Avenue, at 10 a.m.
DeSantis was joined by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, State Board of Immigration Enforcement Executive Director Larry Keefe and U.S Customs and Border Protection Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Dinise.
A multi-agency immigration enforcement surge dubbed Operation Tidal Wave has resulted in more than 1,100 arrests in a single week in Florida — the highest number in the state’s history, officials announced.
The effort, described as the “first-of-its-kind,” involved the activation of 287(g) officers and more than 250 members of the Florida National Guard to assist federal partners, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The 287(g) Program lets ICE work with local and state police to find and deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, aiming to make communities across the country safer.
Described as a force-multiplier in executing the Trump administration’s campaign promise of mass deportations, officials say the program was central to Operation Tidal Wave.
Sheahan said among those arrested were a Brazilian national with a history of aggravated assault, a Mexican national whose record includes kidnapping, and Colombian nationals convicted of murder.
She said of the 1120 arrests, many of them, they suspect committed some sort of other crime or have a record of committing another crime beyond the initial crime of being in this country illegally. And of that number, some they believe may be gang members.
The week-long operation put that strategy to the test, creating what officials called a use case for future efforts.
They said it was successful and believe they have developed a blueprint that can be scaled up and exported to other states nationwide.
Officials credited ICE and cooperating state agencies for removing the individuals from the streets.
Sheahan also expressed gratitude to several Florida agencies for their support, including the Florida Department of Transportation, the Department of Corrections, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
She also emphasized that the operation reflects the administration’s broader immigration agenda.
“President Donald Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and ICE are committed to making sure our American families are safe in their own communities because we have zero tolerance for illegal aliens,” she said.
The operation marks a new level of state and federal collaboration in immigration enforcement, as officials push for expanded use of programs like 287(g), which allows local officers to act in certain immigration enforcement roles.
ICE officials have not yet released the names of those arrested but said additional details will be shared as ongoing investigations conclude.
“All 67 counties in Florida have agreed to the 287(g) agreement with their sheriff departments and we’re getting more police departments to get on board,” DeSantis said.
Building on the success of the operation, DeSantis says he wants to take the state’s role even further — beyond just making arrests — by using National Guard members as immigration judges, if the Trump administration allows it.
The governor brushed aside concerns about due process, arguing that Florida alone has tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants with final deportation orders, and that number climbs into the hundreds of thousands nationwide.
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