TALHASSEE – Federal authorities launched a massive operation in Florida this week, finding and detaining about 800 immigrants illegally in the country in their first coordinated immigration enforcement efforts with state police since the Trump administration came to power.
A copy of the plan reviewed by the Miami Herald shows that it is called the Homeland Security-led effort – Operation Tidal Wave, which is scheduled to continue until Saturday.
Eligible individuals are in the cities of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Stuart, Tallahassee and Fort Myers.
As of Wednesday, it is unclear how many people were being detained by immigration authorities. The records do not detail how the federal government chose that goal, but authorities say they are trying to detain “criminals or immigrant violators” who have final deportation orders.
The project is a multi-county cooperation between the Trump administration and Florida public safety agencies in immigration enforcement, with about a fifth of the population being foreign-born states.
While federal authorities are leading the effort, a joint approach to immigration enforcement is a glimpse into the types of policing partnerships that could soon recover in Florida as Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes local and state law enforcement into the folding of Trump’s efforts.
In a statement issued to the Herald, an immigration and customs spokesperson said the federal agency would not review or discuss ongoing or future operations “for operational security reasons and the safety of law enforcement.” The agency said as part of its daily work, it will arrest immigrants who commit crimes and violate immigration laws.
“The agency is publicly releasing the results of its operations when necessary,” the spokesman said.
The Department of Homeland Security did not answer questions about how agents chose their goals. A spokesman for customs and border security introduced the Herald to the ice.
Homeland Security is leading the effort with the help of other federal agencies and state law enforcement partners who have enlisted to support federal immigration enforcement through the 287(g) program, an ICE initiative that allows local law enforcement to represent officers to perform the functions of restricted immigration agents.
Since President Donald Trump took office and began his second term, nearly 230 Florida law enforcement agencies have signed 287(g) contracts, the most in any state in the coalition.
Over 130 active agreements are under the task force model, allowing officers to question, arrest and detain people suspected of violating federal immigration laws. According to ICE data, another 70 institutions have pending applications to participate in the program.
State agencies and subdivisions such as the campus police station, local police stations and Florida Department of Lottery Security are among the agencies that plan to partner with ICE.
Homeland Security’s Department of Homeland Security Christie Noem has promoted several law enforcement activities since Trump took office. That includes patroling horses with customs and border security along the southwest border. He visited Guantanamo Bay, where the administration sent immigrants before deporting them to Venezuela. Grab a cocaine brick from a vehicle at the entrance to California.
