DeSantis brags about Florida’s migrant arrest numbers

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is thrilled with how his state is supporting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. In recent months, Florida law enforcement officers “have apprehended almost 3,000 illegal aliens,” DeSantis announced — 500 of whom have criminal records, he claimed. During a news conference in Orlando, DeSantis further confirmed that 600 of the migrants were processed through Alligator Alcatraz, the controversial detention facility in the Everglades that critics say is plagued with human rights violations. The governor also promised more apprehensions are on the way.

Mobilizing state officers

During a news conference in Orlando, the governor also highlighted multiple ways Florida is supporting Trump’s mass deportation efforts. The state’s Highway Patrol is a big part of that. “To further combat the threat of illegal immigration, Florida Highway Patrol is establishing a new immigration unit — the Immigration Enforcement Section, within the Bureau of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence — to specialize in immigration enforcement,” DeSantis said. “This team of mission-dedicated troopers will work in close contact with local, state and federal law enforcement partners to identify, locate and apprehend criminal aliens across the state.”

Highway Patrol heavily involved

DeSantis added that 1,800 Florida Highway Patrol officers have been trained and credentialed to serve as immigration officers under an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE — and 100 troopers have been deputized as U.S. marshals, which means they can carry out federal search warrants. All 67 of Florida’s county sheriffs’ offices are also participating in the same agreement with ICE, DeSantis confirmed.

There’s more

DeSantis was joined at the news conference by officials including Wilton Simpson, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services commissioner. Simpson told reporters that law enforcement officers in his branch, which is building a new agricultural inspection station at the Florida-Alabama border to carry out its mission, are acting as a “force multiplier” for local and federal immigration enforcement partners. Explained DeSantis, “We can sit on our hands and watch the problems not get solved, or we can be part of the solution and help lead the efforts among the states to get the job done.”

Leading nationwide efforts

DeSantis positioned himself as a leader in carrying out Trump’s immigration and deportation policies. “There’s no other state in the country that can match our efforts,” he told reporters. “In fact, there’s no other state that is even in the ballpark of our efforts. I don’t think you’ve seen any state in the country work more closely with these federal agencies to fulfill a very key mission, a mandate from the American people after the 2024 election, to get this job done. So we’re showing that it can be done.”

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