MIAMI — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with state and local law enforcement agencies in Florida, arrested 780 migrants during a four-day operation, ABC News reported.
Dubbed “Operation Tidal Wave,” the effort utilized ICE’s 287(g) authority, which allows state and local officers to assist in immigration enforcementt. Deputized personnel participated in arrests both in jails and during routine field operations.
Todd Lyons, acting ICE director, called the operation the first of its kind.
“We brought a ‘whole the government’ approach with cooperative jurisdictions that want to help ICE secure communities in neighborhoods and remove public safety threats from our neighborhoods,” Lyons said.
During the operation, 275 individuals with final orders of removal — meaning they can be deported without further legal proceedings — were among those arrested, according to the report. ICE said the collaboration included Florida state troopers, local police and county sheriffs, who helped identify public safety threats during their regular duties.
ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan added that similar partnerships are expanding in other states, including Texas and Virginia, with more states joining despite not being traditional border states.
Officials said these 287(g) agreements have increased by 371% since the start of the current administration, with 428 new agreements signed, according to the report.
