Federal authorities said more than 230 undocumented immigrants — including 150 who were sexual predators — have been arrested in a 10-day statewide operation in Florida.
Officials called the arrests “Operation Dirtbag” as they spoke at a press conference Thursday in Miramar.
“I call this Operation Dirtbag because these individuals were not just sex offenders, they targeted children. Some of the charges include sexual assault, battery, attempted homicide. These 150 illegal aliens will be gone and off our streets,” said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. “Our kids will be safer. This partnership with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida is a model we want to replicate across the country.”
DeSantis was scheduled to attend Thursday’s press conference but got stuck with airplane trouble.
“These are some of the worst child molesters, rapists, murderers, convicted criminals that have been in and out of your community for a long time. And we’re not going to stand for it anymore,” said Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass. “These are the pure evil that is running around in our country and we’ve got to expel that from our country.”
Federal officials said the efforts to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants is the result of partnerships between law enforcement at all levels.
The federal government reached agreements with more than 335 agencies to give local and state law enforcement officials more power for immigration enforcement.
“It really sets a model to the nation of what it looks like when the federal government and the state government is able to work together to effectuate change,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Madison Sheahan. “We’re able to work side by side as partners and not overreach as government to be able to go and remove the worst of the worst criminals.”
Critics, meanwhile, contend Florida’s immigration enforcement is unfair for many immigrant families who are hardworking and have been in the state for years, working and raising children.
