Florida officials say state-led operation has turned over more than 10,000 migrants to DHS; statewide arrests approach 20,000

Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of his cabinet on *the stage* credited a Florida-led immigration enforcement push with thousands of arrests and expanded processing capacity in cooperation with the federal government.

"Operation Tidal Wave is now, hit over 10,000 arrests of illegal aliens who have been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security," the governor said, adding later that "of those, 63 percent had criminal arrests or convictions." The governor described the operation as a "force multiplier" that speeds identification and transfer to federal custody.

Anthony Coker, identified in the transcript as executive director of the state board of immigration enforcement, told reporters the work to stand up 287(g) task-force operations took months and credited agency directors, sheriffs and federal partners for achieving operational coordination. "Every state agency in Florida has made a 287(g) task force arrest," Coker said, and he described data-tracking and personal working relationships with federal counterparts as central to the effort.

Dave Kerner, executive director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, provided additional operational numbers, saying that, "as of 07:00 this morning, we've had 7,674 apprehensions and arrests by state troopers" that were turned over to ICE, Border Patrol or DHS. Kerner described several examples in which troopers encountered suspects with prior violent or serious criminal histories.

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass and the attorney general (identified in the transcript as Utthmeyer) also described prosecutions and removals tied to the operations. Utthmeyer said his office took part in what the transcript describes as "over 1,200 child predator arrests," and that "a couple 100 of these are people that are illegally in the country." Glass said the agency had removed "over 230" individuals the transcript characterizes as career offenders.

Officials said the state is hosting temporary processing facilities — described in the transcript as a "deportation depot" at Baker Correctional Institute and a southern site referred to as "Alligator Alcatraz" — where DHS has embedded immigration adjudicators to speed determinations. DeSantis said the facilities are not intended as long-term detention centers, that DHS chooses who is sent to those sites, and that the state expects DHS to expand its own bed capacity over time.

The news conference included several numerical claims that state speakers presented as evidence of operational success: the governor cited "over 10,000" arrests tied to Operation Tidal Wave and said combined state and county figures are "close to 20,000." The transcript also records an exchange about flights and removals in which a staff member referenced "93 deportation flights" over about four months and the governor later referenced the figure "2,926"; the transcript does not reconcile those two numbers.

Officials repeatedly framed the program as lawful enforcement under 287(g) agreements with the Department of Homeland Security and emphasized county participation: the governor said every one of Florida's 67 counties has signed a 287(g) agreement. Speakers urged congressional changes to asylum law, with the governor calling many asylum claims "bogus" and saying Congress should "clean that up."

The session closed with the governor previewing items for the upcoming legislative session and reiterating support for law enforcement logistics and continued coordination with federal partners. He also said additional temporary processing options (including a possible "Panhandle" site) are under review and would require DHS approval.

Sources and limitations: This article summarizes statements made aloud at the cabinet news conference and attributes direct quotes to speakers identified in the transcript. Several figures and characterizations were presented by state officials during the event; where the transcript shows inconsistent or unclear numerical references (for example, the two different flight/removal figures), this article reports both and notes the inconsistency rather than attempting independent reconciliation.

Next steps: Officials said DHS approval and reimbursement remain part of future facility decisions, and the governor flagged upcoming legislative announcements and priorities that he said would be released during the next legislative session.