Florida officials announced that state and federal law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 6,200 illegal aliens this year, all of whom have been transferred to the Trump administration for removal.

The latest enforcement action, known as “Operation Criminal Return,” resulted in 230 arrests and focused on individuals identified as repeat violent offenders, child predators, and others with criminal histories.

Gov. Ron DeSantis detailed the results of the operation during a public announcement, describing the effort as a coordinated initiative involving the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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He said the operation reflected the level of enforcement Florida voters expect from state leadership.

“I’m pleased to announce the successful completion of Operation Criminal Return,” DeSantis said.

“This is a joint operation between ICE as well as the state of Florida, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. We nabbed 230 criminal illegal aliens off the street. Some of these guys had committed offenses against children, sexual predators.”

DeSantis contrasted the latest arrests with previous federal immigration policies.

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“These were people that under the Biden administration, they were allowed to just roam with no threat of serious deportation. The times have changed,” he said.

Florida officials have said frequently in recent months that cooperation with the Trump administration has expanded since January, noting differences between current federal enforcement activity and the previous administration’s approach.

DeSantis said the renewed federal partnership has helped accelerate the state’s efforts.

“We have tremendous momentum in the state of Florida because of our leadership on being the number one state to support the Trump administration’s policies — to take illegal aliens who are in our country, remove them, and send them back to their home country,” DeSantis said.

In addition to the arrests made through Operation Criminal Return, Florida Highway Patrol units have been conducting separate operations targeting human smuggling, trafficking activity, and repeat border crossers.

These actions, combined with the joint operations with federal authorities, contributed to the total of 6,200 arrests reported by the state.

DeSantis said Florida’s approach is intended to demonstrate that state-level enforcement can work in tandem with federal immigration authorities.

“The state of Florida is leading. We’re showing what can be done when you work collaboratively with the federal government on an issue that’s very, very important to so many people — not just here in Florida, but throughout the United States,” he said.

Recent data reviewed by state officials show that ICE arrests in Florida have increased significantly this year.

The data indicate arrests of individuals without criminal charges or convictions rose more than 450 percent compared to the same period last year, a trend state officials attribute to the expanded partnership between Florida agencies and the Trump administration.

Florida continues to report increases in immigration enforcement activity across multiple jurisdictions, positioning the state as one of the most active in the country in identifying and transferring illegal aliens to federal custody.

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