Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the success of a series of recent illegal immigration operations while speaking alongside Florida Department Law Enforcement (FDLE) officers at a press conference in Davie this week.
Operation Sandhill Sentinel
A joint operation involving Florida Highway Patrol, the Broward Sheriff's Office, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations, Florida National Park, and the Florida State Guard leading to 150 arrests of criminal illegal aliens, including immigration violators and those with a criminal history. Arrests include domestic violence, drug trafficking, driving under the influence, assault, and other violent offenses.
"That was a very successful operation. And again, people in Southern Florida are safer as a result of that," DeSantis said.
Operation Locate
An FDLE operation focusing on unaccompanied migrant children who entered the United States, many by drug cartels, during the Biden administration. DeSantis said more than 400 children have now been identified and/or physically located by the operation.
"This will help us uncover trafficking networks, it'll help with missing children's cases, and it helps with other high-risk situations. We can forget about some of this stuff that happened then and act like that there's no more reverberations just because they're not being flooded in now, but that was a really, really dangerous thing that was being allowed to have happen," DeSantis said.
Operation Criminal Return
A joint 10-day operation between FDLE and DHS targeting illegal alien sex offenders and other violent offenses leading to 230 arrests.
"I've said all along, I mean, if you're a legal alien and a convicted criminal alien, what possible basis could there be for anyone to object to that?" DeSantis questioned. "But I've also said waiting for someone to be convicted is not smart, because I want to identify and remove before once some of our citizens get victimized by folks, and that's what we've done across all these different operations, but this particular one got a lot of bad people, and we're able to do that."
Gov. DeSantis has led on several illegal alien operations since signing an illegal immigration package into law in February 2025, including Operation Tidal Wave, Operation Dirt Bag, Operation Vigilant Sentry.
"Florida is safer today than it was yesterday," State Board of Immigration Enforcement Executive Director Anthony Coker said. Every single criminal alien removed from our community is a step towards regaining our nation and state sovereignty during the Biden border crisis."
