MIRAMAR, Fla. (NewsNation) — Officials in Florida announced the Thursday arrest and removal of hundreds of migrants in what is being touted as the largest joint immigration enforcement operation in the state’s history.
“This has been the first of its kind throughout the U.S. This is the largest immigration enforcement operation that we have seen in quite some time throughout the country. Florida state agencies assisted feds to arrest over 1,100 illegal aliens across the state,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Dubbed “Operation Tidal Wave,” the weeklong initiative targeted individuals with orders of removal across the state and was carried out in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Madison Sheahan, deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed the arrest and removal of 1,100 migrants and said several of those detained were gang members.
“I’ll stand by the fact that, if you’re in this country illegally, you are a criminal. You will be deported, you will have the opportunity to be able to come back into this country through the correct immigration processes,” Sheahan said.
The Department of Homeland Security told NewsNation that among the arrests were a documented MS-13 gang member and a Russian national with a red notice from Interpol.
Sheahan said a Brazilian national with a history of assault, a Mexican national with a history including kidnapping and Colombian nationals who were convicted of murder were also among those arrested.
According to Jeffrey Dinise, chief patrol agent with Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol agents on the road are looking for reactions, running the license plates of suspected vehicles, and then running information from the license plate through their database.
ICE described the operation as a first-of-its-kind partnership between federal and state law enforcement.
“We’re working together to make sure we get this done correctly,” said Garrett Ripa, acting deputy associate director for ICE enforcement and removal operations.
‘We’re coming for you,’ DHS Secretary Kristi Noem warns
White House and DHS officials have framed the operation as a message to migrants.
“We’re coming for you,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on social media, calling the operation a “warning” that more large-scale enforcement efforts are on the way.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the sentiment.
“Operation Tidal Wave is a preview of what is to come around this country,” she said. “Large-scale operations that employ our state and local enforcement partners to get criminals off our streets.”
Additionally, Sheahan said Operation Tidal Wave won’t be the last of its kind.
“President Trump, Secretary Noem and ICE are committed to these large-scale operations to be able to keep our communities safe because we will not stop until our American families and everyday Americans are safe in their own communities, because we have zero tolerance for criminal illegal aliens,” she said.
White House touts mass deportations
As President Donald Trump marks 100 days in office, the Trump administration has touted its immigration enforcement efforts.
According to Noem, 250 known terrorists have been deported during Trump’s first 100 days, alongside more than 100,000 people in the United States illegally.
The White House said that about 139,000 deportations have been carried out so far.
Similar to the Trump administration, DeSantis has signaled that the operation in Florida is the beginning of a broader immigration crackdown in his state.