Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that 378 “violent offenders” and other criminals were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during widespread raids in the Sunshine State this week.
DeSantis on Thursday joined with ICE officials to update the public about “Operation Tidal Wave,” a series of ICE raids and arrests that took place from April 21-26 and detained 1,120 people, including 378 who are described as “violent offenders, gang members, sex offenders, fugitives from justice, and those who pose significant public safety threats.”
"There's been a lot of great enforcement efforts leading up to Operation Tidal Wave, but this has been the first of its kind throughout the United States," DeSantis said during a press conference. "This is the largest immigration enforcement operation that we've seen in quite some time throughout the entire country."
He added, "These are people that should have never been in our country. Some of these people had been previously deported."
"This operation really is a historic marker of success that was made possible because of the partnership with the state of Florida,” added ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan. "Together, we are able to conduct over 1,100 arrests and remove several violent gang members from the communities here in Florida."