DeSantis says Florida is ‘delivering’ on promise to protect citizens from illegal immigration

Florida – Governor Ron DeSantis has unveiled the results of a new immigration enforcement effort in the Florida Panhandle. He said it was the first of its type in the state. The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and various federal agencies are working together on the Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation, which has already had a big impact.

FHP troopers worked with people from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for a week. Officials said that 45 FHP troopers and 20 federal agents carried out enforcement activities in the counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes, Bay, Washington, and Jackson.

Early data shows that about 200 people who were in the country illegally were arrested. Of those, 37 had already been ordered to leave the country but had not followed the immigration court’s directives. Eight others had been kicked out of the United States before and had come back in illegally; one of them had been kicked out four times. In those circumstances, federal charges will be filed.

Governor DeSantis applauded the coordinated response, saying it showed Florida’s dedication to keeping its people safe and secure.

“The Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation has apprehended hundreds of illegal aliens—including fugitives with criminal records and repeat unlawful border crossers. Florida continues to deliver on the mandate to secure our interior and protect our citizens from the threat of illegal immigration,” he said.

Dave Kerner, the Executive Director of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, additionally addressed the outcome. He talked about the “unprecedented success” of the FHP Immigration Enforcement Unit in arresting criminals and said that working closely with federal authorities has led to an enforcement methodology that has a measurable effect.

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Officials reported that several of the interactions during the operation turned violent, with people running away, fighting back against arrest, or even attacking officers. Officials stressed that these kinds of events show how dangerous it is for criminals to break the law and move into Florida communities.

The initiative is part of a broader push by the state to intensify immigration enforcement. In addition to the Panhandle operation, Governor DeSantis said that Florida has started weekly deportation flights out of Tallahassee in cooperation with ICE and the U.S. Coast Guard. Last Monday, the first flight left with 20 people who were going to be deported.

Officials argue that these steps, when taken together, send a clear message that Florida will keep working with federal agencies and using its resources to catch and deport people who breach immigration laws, especially those who have been arrested before or have entered the country illegally more than once.