Florida troopers net 249 in multi-agency immigration sweep

Florida Highway Patrol teamed up with five federal, state and local agencies this month for a three-day immigration enforcement operation along South Florida highways that resulted in 249 arrests and transfers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to Fox News Digital, which rode along during the sweep.

The operation, dubbed Operation 9 by FHP, assembled more than 100 officers before dawn at a Broward County station. Participating agencies included ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, and the Florida State Guard.

It was described as the ninth such operation since October, according to Lt. Ramin Sulaiman, assistant commander of the FHP Immigration Enforcement Section.

“We all have the same common goal,” Mr. Sulaiman said, adding that coordination between agencies has grown smoother with each round.

Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, told Fox News Digital that FHP troopers have arrested more than 10,000 people in the country illegally since March 2025 through routine roadside stops. Officers typically flag potential immigration violations when drivers stopped for traffic infractions are found to be without a license. A review of Florida’s State Board of Immigration Enforcement database published by WLRN in early May recorded more than 6,600 FHP arrests, though that database dates only to August 2025, roughly six months after FHP began operating under its 287(g) agreement with ICE. 

Mr. Sulaiman told Fox News that many of those arrested during Operation 9 had no verifiable records with law enforcement — people with, in his words, “no records for them, no accountability of who they are.” He also said more than 1 million migrants who entered the country illegally during the Biden administration and identified Florida as their destination were subsequently released — a figure that could not be independently verified.

Those detained during the sweep were processed at the FHP station, offered water and snacks, and transferred to ICE custody. ICE public affairs officer Nestor Yglesias said most detainees were then given the option of a voluntary return flight to their home country or remaining in custody pending an immigration hearing. Mr. Yglesias said the U.S. government covers the cost of departure flights on a case-by-case basis, with some individuals receiving payments of up to $2,600 depending on circumstances.

During the operation’s second day, officers stopped a pickup truck for speeding. The driver, a Mexican national who had been in the country for six years without a driver’s license, was accompanied by two passengers from Guatemala, both of whom officers said had entered the country illegally more than 20 years earlier. One had previously been deported. Criminal history checks were pending.

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Trooper Tony Golden, who patrols six counties in Florida’s Panhandle, pushed back against characterizations that troopers target drivers based on appearance.

“People accuse officers of targeting people for immigration enforcement,” Mr. Golden said. “That’s not true.”

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