More than 150 migrants, including Mexicans and Central Americans, were detained in Florida following a three-day joint operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in coordination with state and local authorities, official sources reported.
According to ICE, the Border Patrol and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) participated in the operation under the 287(g) agreements, which allow local authorities to collaborate directly in immigration enforcement tasks.
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ICE immigration operation in Florida
“152 illegal foreign criminals were arrested during a three-day ICE operation in Florida”, the agency said in a post shared on its social media.
The agency detailed that 23 migrants were deported on the second day alone, thanks to collaboration with state and local agencies affiliated with 287(g) agreements, including the FHP.
Detained migrants: Mexicans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans
ICE released photographs of four people detained, including:
- A Mexican migrant convicted of fraud.
- A Guatemalan citizen suspected of cruelty to a minor.
- A Honduran man who spent eight years in prison for an armed assault.
- Another Honduran migrant accused of domestic violence
The agency stated that the operation’s objective was to remove individuals with criminal records from neighborhoods, although it did not specify in which Florida cities the arrests were made or the exact number of Mexicans arrested.
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Florida strengthens cooperation with ICE under 287(g) agreements
The operation takes place hours after it was revealed that the Florida government allocated $573 million from an emergency fund to immigration enforcement operations over the past three years, according to a report by Governor Ron DeSantis’s administration sent to the state legislature and leaked to the media.
DeSantis recently claimed that “no other state has done more than Florida” to advance immigration policies and forced all local authorities to sign 287(g) agreements, with the aim of cooperating with ICE in arresting migrants.
The governor recalled that these actions have led to the arrest of more than 20,000 migrants in Florida over the past nine months. Additionally, he is pushing for new immigration laws to tighten restrictions, including an initiative to prohibit undocumented migrants from sending remittances from the United States.
