Governor DeSantis makes major announcement regarding Panhandle immigration effort with FHP

Governor Ron DeSantis announced the results Friday morning of an immigration enforcement operation over the past week that led to the arrest of 200 individuals.

“We’re now in this position where we’re leading the state efforts to help the Trump Administration actually enforce the law and remove illegal aliens from not just Florida, but from our country,” said Governor Ron DeSantis, “And that’s something that we didn’t have for four years. And now that’s something that we’re absolutely on board with making sure happens going forward.”

The operation involved 45 Florida Highway Patrol troopers and 20 federal personnel and took place across eight Panhandle counties. It was part of a cooperative effort with ICE, Border Patrol, Homeland Security, and Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Since March 2025, the Florida Highway Patrol has vetted nearly 4,700 immigrants through DHS databases. This ongoing effort is part of the state’s broader strategy to address immigration issues.

The operation, known as the Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation, deployed personnel across Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes, Bay, Washington, and Jackson counties. Governor DeSantis emphasized the state’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws and removing illegal aliens. 

Last week, Florida partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard and ICE to conduct their first deportation flight from Tallahassee, which included 20 illegal immigrants.

“Everybody’s seen alligator, Alcatraz, we’ve got a deportation depot,” said Executive Director of the state board of immigration, Larry Keefe, “But it all comes down to finding, sorting, processing, detaining and deporting in a mass scale humanely, safely, lawfully, and bringing all of these moving parts together.”

Governor DeSantis reiterated the state’s stance against lawlessness, stating, “We will not tolerate lawlessness in the state of Florida or continue to deploy every available resource to identify, apprehend, and remove those who seek to exploit our state and to endanger our people.”

Of those 200-people arrested from this past week, 37 of them had final orders but failed to appear in court, 8 were previously deported and illegally reentered the U.S.