Operation Tidal Wave led to thousands of immigrant arrests. The 287(g) agreement resulted in a strong partnership between ICE and the state, according to officials.
Credit: Office Of Florida Governor Ron Desantis via AP, file
FILE – Gov. DeSantis speaks about deportations from Everglades immigration lockup known as “Alligator Alcatraz″ on July 25, 2025 from Ochopee, Fla.
Author: S.G. de León y León
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — According to top Florida officials, the partnership with federal immigration enforcement agencies through the 287(g) agreement resulted in more than 10,000 arrests of immigrants in the state.
On Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders, shared the numbers of the efforts in the state through the so-called Operation Tidal Wave.
They say it underscores the strength of the partnership between Florida and Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the state’s commitment to public safety and the rule of law.
“Since Operation Tidal Wave launched eight months ago, Florida law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 10,400 illegal aliens and worked with federal partners to remove them from our state and country,” DeSantis stated, adding that this was the largest joint operation in ICE’s history.
“We’re proud that it will continue here in Florida,” the governor added.
As a result of Operation Tidal Wave, immigrants from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela and other countries were arrested.
Most striking, 3,435 Guatemalans and 3,331 Mexicans were arrested. Officials added that 1,249 arrests were of people from “elsewhere,” without clarification.
“Throughout the operation, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies worked in coordination across Florida to apprehend criminal illegal aliens,” the officials said in the statement, noting that immigration enforcement has historically been a job for the federal government.
County sheriff offices in multiple counties “played a critical role in supporting ICE operations,” including Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Hernando counties, according to the officials.
Last year, as of Nov. 7, sheriff’s offices across the Tampa Bay area had requested $1.92 million in grants to reimburse their participation in immigration enforcement. Polk County requested the most funds, asking for more than $1 million, with roughly half aiming to reimburse housing detained immigrants.
The Florida officials said that Operation Tidal Wave is the first program of its kind, established thanks to the 287(g) agreements, which allow for law enforcement agencies to deputize officers, deputies or troopers to work directly with ICE.
On Sunday, people gathered outside the Pinellas County Justice Center to call attention to the rising number of ICE detainees being held at the county jail. And on Dec. 23, local organizations in St. Pete held a protest against the 287(g) agreement.
In spite of objections by residents in some parts of Florida to the partnerships with ICE, state officials, some of whom are part of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, like Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, praised the immigration enforcement efforts.
Uthmeier said that state prosecutors “will ensure these criminals do serious time behind bars before we send them back to where they came from.”
Ingoglia said that “illegal immigration has plagued” the U.S. for “a better part of 50 years,” adding that thanks to DeSantis and President Donald Trump’s leadership, “we are taking serious steps towards rectifying this problem.”
“Illegal immigrants should think twice before coming into our country and into our state, because if they are caught in Florida, they will be sent back home,” Ingoglia added.
“Through our first-in-the-nation 287(g) partnerships, Florida is working hand-in-hand with the federal government to ensure that individuals in our country illegally – especially those with serious criminal convictions – are identified, detained, and processed appropriately,” Simpson said.
“We are a country of laws, and Florida is and always will be a law-and-order state,” Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement Director, Anthony Coker, said. “We will never apologize for doing anything in our power to make sure Floridians are safe.”
As of Dec. 1, out of the 18 deaths that had been reported in ICE’s custody across the U.S., six happened in the state of Florida.
DeSantis announces Florida arrested 10,400 illegal immigrants in ‘Operation Tidal Wave’
By Anders Hagstrom
Published January 05, 2026
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida has arrested more than 10,000 illegal immigrants since starting a state-wide crackdown last year.
DeSantis made the announcement during a Monday news conference, declaring that “Operation Tidal Wave” led to the removal of 10,400 illegal immigrants from Florida since April 2025.
“In April 2025, Florida partnered with federal law enforcement in the largest joint immigration enforcement operation in ICE’s history: Operation Tidal Wave,” DeSantis wrote on X.
“Today, I was proud to announce a new milestone in our joint efforts to combat illegal immigration and restore order in our communities: Florida law enforcement have arrested more than 10,400 illegal immigrants across the state,” he added.
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DeSantis joined ICE Deputy Director Madison D. Sheahan and other officials in Tallahassee, Fla., in September to reveal the state would receive tens of millions of dollars in additional immigration enforcement funding.
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The funding includes $28 million, with an additional $10 million directed to local law enforcement. The funds are part of $1.7 billion being distributed nationwide under President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Sheahan said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed that Florida has arrested 10,400 illegal immigrants since April 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
According to ICE, $2.7 million of the funding will support transportation for local agencies, while $7.3 million will provide equipment for 974 local officers. At the state level, $1 million is allocated for transportation and $27.5 million for equipment benefiting 3,676 state officers.
The 287(g) initiative empowers state and local law enforcement officers to help perform immigration enforcement duties. Florida has “set the standard” nationwide for 287(g) partnerships with 325 agreements in place, according to ICE.
President Donald Trump talks with Gov. Ron DeSantis during a roundtable at “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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DeSantis has previously warned that any attempts to threaten or attack ICE agents in Florida would not be tolerated.
“Florida is not Portland,” DeSantis said in September. “If you think you can go and launch attacks against ICE agents in this state, you’ve got another thing coming. We will hold you accountable very swiftly and very severely.”
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on X: @Hagstrom_Anders.
