As Florida continues its crackdown on those who are in the country illegally, state officials announced at a news conference on Friday that the Florida Highway Patrol has made approximately 3,600 arrests connected to illegal immigration since March.
Gov. Ron DeSantis opened the event in Panama City by addressing a recent court ruling against the state’s immigration detention center, Alligator Alcatraz.
He called the judge’s decision “pre-ordained” and vowed the state would continue its mission to remove people who are not legally in the country.
DeSantis previously announced plans for a new deportation facility in Baker County near Jacksonville, dubbed the Deportation Depot, capable of holding 2,000 detainees.
“This mission is important. You either have a country, or you don’t,” DeSantis said. “We’re now leading the state up to really enforce the law and actually remove these illegal aliens from not just Florida, but from our country.”
DeSantis also recounted a recent case involving a man from India who had entered the U.S. illegally and is accused of causing a fatal crash in Florida while driving a commercial truck.
The driver fled to California and was extradited to Florida after Lt. Gov. Jay Collins visited California on Thursday.
Collins, a retired Green Beret, described himself as “not a politician but a God-fearing, gun-loving, freedom-defending, bacon-eating, one-legged veteran” during the news conference and praised the state’s law enforcement efforts.
He emphasized Florida’s leadership role in immigration enforcement and criticized sanctuary policies in other states like California.
Col. Gary Howze of the Florida Highway Patrol touted the agency’s arrests as part of these operations.
Howze provided a trooper’s perspective on immigration enforcement, describing the work as “boots on the ground operations.”
Howze highlighted the dangers troopers face, including resistance and assaults.
“These are professionals who enforce law in this state and the nation with clarity and purpose,” Howze said. “There’s nothing glamorous about this work. The hours, difficult conditions, and constant pressures to make the right call. For us, failure is not an option.”
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner shared arrest statistics, noting that since March, nearly 4,700 individuals have been vetted by the FHP through Department of Homeland Security databases.
Of those arrested for immigration violations, more than 600 had prior criminal histories, according to Kerner.
Kerner said FHP has uncovered human smuggling operations; intercepted vehicles transporting illegal firearms, fentanyl, and illicit cash; and arrested individuals involved in drug trafficking, weapons violations, and gang activity.
“We are now entering a different chapter of interior enforcement,” Kerner said. “Our immigration units will be in every county full-time.”
Kerner also highlighted the success of partnerships with federal agencies, including ICE and the U.S. Coast Guard, which recently launched weekly operations transporting people who are illegally in the country from Florida airports.
Larry Keefe, executive director of the Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement, spoke briefly, emphasizing the importance of cooperation among state, local, and federal agencies.
“It all comes down to finding, detaining and deporting on a mass scale - humanely, safely, lawfully, and bringing all of these moving parts together,” Keefe said.
Officials promised continued immigration enforcement operations.