Florida Ranks Second in ICE Arrests, and the DHS Secretary Credits Local Law Enforcement Partnerships
ICE made nearly 29,000 arrests in Florida from January 20 to August 5 of this year — second only to Texas — according to data from the Prison Policy Initiative. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin credits the state's 287(g) partnerships; a Jacksonville immigrant-rights advocate says the program has not paid off for working people.
Only Texas recorded more immigration arrests than Florida this year. New data from the Prison Policy Initiative shows ICE made nearly 29,000 arrests in Florida from Jan. 20 to Aug. 5 of this year, second only to Texas, which had nearly 54,000 in the same period. Figures from the Deportation Data Project show the pace accelerating over the summer: more than 3,300 immigration-related arrests in Florida in May, jumping to more than 7,300 in July alone.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, speaking in Jacksonville Beach, said the spike is due in part to the state's participation in the 287(g) program, which allows ICE to delegate immigration authority to state and local law enforcement officers, and he called Florida probably the best actor the department has in the program. In February 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis directed all state law enforcement agencies to enter into the program, with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement completing all requirements on July 10.
Critics in Jacksonville dispute that the program has paid off. Maria Garcia of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance said it has not paid off for the working people of Florida, and said the alliance will demand that whoever becomes the next sheriff of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office drop the agency's 287(g) agreement with the federal government.
