Operation Tidal Wave arrests 1,120 in Florida in largest single-state ICE operation
Operation Tidal Wave (April 21-26, 2025) resulted in 1,120 arrests across Florida, the largest number in a single state in one week in ICE’s history. While ICE claimed all were “criminal aliens,” 37% had no criminal convictions beyond immigration violations. Governor DeSantis and ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan called it a “test run” and “warm up” for future operations. The operation utilized 287(g) agreements to integrate state and local law enforcement into immigration enforcement.
Sources & Citations
[1]
Largest joint immigration operation in Florida history leads to 1,120 criminal alien arrests
· Apr 27, 2025
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[2]
Gov. Ron DeSantis, ICE officials laud Operation Tidal Wave as historic immigration enforcement program
· May 1, 2025
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[3]
First-of-its-kind operation with local law enforcement leads to nearly 800 immigrant arrests in Florida
· Apr 27, 2025
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Tier 3 regional & specialty press ·
Tier 4 opinion or single-source.
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Cite this entry
The Cascade Ledger. “Operation Tidal Wave arrests 1,120 in Florida in largest single-state ICE operation.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, April 21, 2025. https://capturecascade.org/event/2025-04-21--operation-tidal-wave-florida/