MIRAMAR, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis and ICE officials were in Broward County on Thursday morning to speak on the latest efforts to detain and remove people who are in Florida illegally.
Called "Operation Tidal Wave," officials said from April 21-26, 2025, that 1,120 people were taken into custody — the largest number in a single state in one week. They said that 63% of those had a previous arrest or conviction.
WATCH BELOW: DeSantis, ICE officials announce 'historic' arrests of undocumented migrants
"There's been a lot of great enforcement efforts leading up to Operation Tidal Wave, but this has been the first of its kind throughout the United States," DeSantis said. "This is the largest immigration enforcement operation that we've seen in quite some time throughout the entire country."
DeSantis announced in February that the state had entered into a 287(g) agreement with the federal government to expedite the removal of people who are unlawfully living in Florida. He praised the partnership of state agencies with the Department of Homeland Security to work "hand in hand" to conduct the operation.
"These are people that should have never been in our country," DeSantis said. "Some of these people had been previously deported."
The majority of people taken into custody from this operation were from Guatemala (437 people).
The other breakdown of nationalities included:
- 280 people from Mexico
- 48 people from Venezuela
- 153 people from Honduras
- 24 people from El Salvador
- 178 people from other countries
"This operation really is a historic marker of success that was made possible because of the partnership with the state of Florida, allowing us to activate our 287(g) officers and activating over 250 local and state law enforcement as well as National Guard to assist our federal partners, and I want to thank Gov. DeSantis for his commitment to be able to put this operation on for the last week," ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said. "Together, we are able to conduct over 1,100 arrests and remove several violent gang members from the communities here in Florida."
Sheahan said this effort could be used as a "model" for other states for similar operations in the future.
WPTV's Ethan Stein reported this week that Florida Highway Patrol troopers and Border Patrol agents are traveling together in the same cars to enforce immigration laws.
Among the arrests highlighted in Thursday's news conference was an operation in Palm Beach County.
"While on patrol in Jupiter, Florida, border patrol agents and highway patrol troopers arrested Alejandro Flores. He's an illegal alien from Mexico," Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Dinise of the Miami Sector of U.S. Border Patrol said. "Flores is an aggravated felon with criminal convictions for alien smuggling. Flores is being prosecuted for reentry after deportation and will swiftly be deported after serving his sentence."
WATCH BELOW: Advocates say work vehicles being targeted in immigration enforcement
The removal of undocumented migrants from the United States has been a focal point of President Donald Trump's administration since he took office in January.
DeSantis announced in February that the state had entered into a 287(g) agreement with the federal government to expedite the removal of people who are unlawfully living in Florida.
"It's important that the law is enforced," DeSantis said. "It ... sends the message going forward. The United States of America is serious about enforcing its immigration laws."
He pushed back on the notion that the arrests are occurring amid racial profiling.
"There's no racial profiling," DeSantis said. "If you're here illegally, then you're in violation of the law. ... We're going to hold you accountable."
The governor said the recent ICE operations are "just the beginning" as Florida looks to continue similar initiatives to remove people who are in the state illegally.
It was reported in April that Florida Atlantic University, as well as the police departments of at least two other public universities in Florida, are seeking agreements with the federal government to carry out immigration enforcement on campus.
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