Federal officials launched a large-scale operation with Florida police this week to find and deport some 800 undocumented immigrants, according to a copy of the plans reviewed by the Miami Herald.
The sting, nicknamed Operation Tidal Wave and led by the Department of Homeland Security with the help of other federal agencies, is being conducted in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and the cities of Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Stuart, Tallahassee, and Fort Myers.
The records say authorities were trying to detain "criminal individuals or immigration violators" that have final deportation orders.
An official with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement told the Herald it would not discuss or confirm ongoing or future operations "due to operational security reasons and for the safety of our law enforcement personnel."
"The agency publicly announces the results of operations when appropriate," the spokesperson said.
Immigrant advocacy group Florida Immigrant Coalition slammed the news.
"It's shameful that something as sensitive as immigration enforcement has been turned into this type of whack-a-mole carnival game where human beings are the targets," FLIC told Newsweek.
"Pushing and rushing local law enforcement agents, many untrained in the intricacies and complexities of immigration law, is a recipe for disaster. One can expect to see violations of civil rights, racial profiling, and botched enforcement that has the potential of netting people who are in the country with status and those who have no criminal record."