ICE joins DeSantis in touting one-week record of arrests
Published:Saturday | May 3, 2025 | 12:05 AM
MIRAMAR (AP):
A record 1,120 people accused of being in the US illegally were arrested in less than a week during sweep orchestrated by federal, state and local authorities in Florida, an operation officials credited on Thursday to the burgeoning number of local police departments and state agencies that have joined President Donald Trump’s drive for mass deportations.
That cooperation was on display Thursday when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis joined officials from the US Department of Homeland Security to tout the arrests.
“We will continue to engage in broad interior enforcement efforts,” said DeSantis at a joint press conference with federal officials. “This is just the beginning.”
Local police can make immigration arrests and detain people for immigration violations under specific agreements. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had 135 agreements across 21 states in December. That number has since jumped to 506 deals across 38 states, with an additional 74 agencies pending approval.
As the Trump administration ramps up cooperation with state and local agencies, it is moving to retaliate against those that limit helping immigration authorities. On Monday, the president signed an executive order to publish a list of “sanctuary” jurisdictions and reiterated threats of criminal charges against state or local officials who thwart federal policy.
Advocates who oppose local officials getting into immigration enforcement say the practice violates a clause in the US Constitution that makes federal, not state, authorities responsible for it.
“This is finding methods to terrorise communities,” said Katie Blankenship, an immigration attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South, adding that local law enforcement officers aren’t trained to handle immigration issues “in any sort of just manner”.
ICE, which has about 6,000 deportation officers, needs help achieving Trump’s goal of deporting many of the roughly 11 million people in the country illegally, a conservative estimate.