Image Credit: Office of Gov. Ron DeSantis 
Approximately 20,000 illegal aliens have been rounded up by Florida authorities in less than a year.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference with members of his cabinet on Monday at ‘Deportation Depot,’ a state-run immigration detention facility at the Baker Correctional Institution outside of Jacksonville.
In April, the state of Florida partnered with federal authorities to launch Operation Tidal Wave, which relies partly on enforcement at highway checkpoints.
More than 10,000 illegals have been busted during the operation to date, the majority of whom have criminal records in the U.S.
“Of those, 63% had criminal arrests or convictions, including violent offenders and sex offenders,” Gov. DeSantis stated.
“Although, you don’t have to have committed a crime to be subject to immigration enforcement. If you have come illegally, that is the offense, and so, of course people can enforce the law.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed that many of the illegals being apprehended are child predators.
“Rest assured, our Statewide Prosecutors will ensure these criminals do serious time behind bars before we send them back to where they came from,” AG Uthmeier stated.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said hundreds of stolen cargo trucks and trailers have been recovered at checkpoints, which are being established at key points along the state’s northern border.
In addition to apprehensions made during Operation Tidal Wave, state and local law enforcement have arrested nearly 10,000 more illegal aliens since early 2025.
“If you look at the other efforts of the counties combined, we’re close to 20,000 arrests that have occurred just in the last year,” DeSantis explained.
Under DeSantis, law enforcement agencies across Florida have signed at least 327 agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the 287(g) program — more than 40 other U.S. states and territories combined.
