Ron DeSantis built the blueprint while Washington made excuses.
Now his troopers are executing it – one sweep at a time.
This week they ran it in Key Largo, and what they found should end every debate about whether Florida's approach is working.
What Went Down in Key Largo
On March 9, Florida Highway Patrol's Criminal Alien Apprehension Team – CAAT – hit Key Largo alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents as part of Operation Tidal Wave.
They arrested 15 illegal aliens.
Every single one had an extensive criminal history.
Not one. Not most. Every. Single. One.
The rap sheets included home invasion with deadly weapons, aggravated battery, felon in possession of a firearm, burglary, domestic violence, drug possession, and crimes involving children.
These weren't people who jaywalked and got swept up in a wide net.
These were people your neighbors had no idea were living down the street from them.
The 15 arrested were citizens of Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala – all taken down in a single targeted operation in one Florida county on one Monday morning.
FHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner didn't sugarcoat it.
"This is what accountability looks like," he said. "Florida will continue to lead with decisive action to protect our residents."
Florida Is Doing What the Rest of America Won't
Here's the number that matters: since March 2025, Florida Highway Patrol alone has apprehended more than 9,000 illegal aliens under the federal 287(g) program – and more than 1,600 of them had previous criminal records.
That's 1,600 people with criminal histories living freely in Florida until someone with a badge and the authority to act did something about it.
Operation Tidal Wave launched in April 2025 as a first-of-its-kind state-federal partnership.
By January 2026, DeSantis announced the operation had crossed 10,400 total arrests statewide – the largest joint immigration enforcement operation in ICE's history.
https://twitter.com/JackSocalVegas/status/2032474591646666814?s=20
When combined with independent county efforts, Florida's total immigration-related arrests over the past year are approaching 20,000.
No other state is close.
"There is no other state that has been able to do anything approaching what the state of Florida has been able to do," DeSantis said from Baker Correctional Institution – now known as the "Deportation Depot."
Florida is the only state to legislatively mandate that all 67 county sheriffs enter into 287(g) agreements with DHS.
Every county. Every sheriff. No opt-outs.
Acting Chief Patrol Agent Samuel Briggs of the U.S. Border Patrol's Miami Sector called the partnership a "force multiplier" for national security.
"Our partners are vital to our operations and enable us to respond swiftly and effectively to threats," Briggs said.
The Model Blue States Are Actively Ignoring
The 287(g) program isn't new.
Congress created it decades ago so state and local officers could assist with federal immigration enforcement.
Florida now leads the nation with 327 active 287(g) agreements – a 577% increase since January 20, 2025.
While Gavin Newsom passes laws shielding criminal aliens from deportation and Pritzker's Chicago refuses ICE cooperation, Florida passed legislation requiring every law enforcement agency in the state to work with federal immigration authorities.
The results are not abstract.
A felon carrying a gun was in Key Largo last week.
Someone with crimes involving children was in Key Largo last week.
A man convicted of home invasion with a deadly weapon was in Key Largo last week.
They were arrested Monday.
By the end of the week they were in federal custody awaiting removal.
That's the pipeline DeSantis built.
Last November, Florida and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ran a 10-day operation called "Operation Criminal Return" that netted 230 convicted criminal aliens – every one of them a registered sex offender or violent felon with a serious criminal history.
The template works.
Newsom and Pritzker just prefer the alternative.
Sources:
- Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, "FHP and U.S. Border Patrol Arrests 15 Criminal Illegal Aliens in Targeted Detail," FHSMV.gov, March 12, 2026.
- Executive Office of the Governor, "Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights Success of Florida-Federal Immigration Partnership as Operation Tidal Wave Reaches More Than 10,000 Arrests," FlGov.com, January 5, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Weeklong ICE Operation with State and Local Partners Leads to Arrest of More than 400 Illegal Aliens in Central Florida," DHS.gov, September 30, 2025.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "ICE and State of Florida Arrest 230 Criminal Alien Sexual Predators, Violent Criminals in 10-Day Operation," ICE.gov, November 13, 2025.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, "Largest Joint Immigration Operation in Florida History Leads to 1,120 Criminal Alien Arrests During Weeklong Operation," ICE.gov, June 13, 2025.
