Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, working in conjunction with local law enforcement in Florida, have arrested nearly 800 illegal immigrants across the state in the past four days, the agency announced April 26.
While ICE has routinely conducted immigration enforcement operations throughout the United States, the agency referred to Florida’s effort, dubbed Operation Tidal Wave, as a “first-of-its-kind” effort pairing federal immigration authorities with state and local law enforcement resources.
In their Saturday press statement, ICE pitched other law enforcement agencies on the idea of working with the agency, linking to a page promoting the 287(g) program.
The 287(g) program grants local law enforcement agencies access to ICE resources and provides them with funding for immigration enforcement training. Participating law enforcement agencies may then identify and process removable illegal immigrants already booked in their jails and detention facilities, enforce some limited federal immigration authorities during their routine police duties, and join ICE agents serving arrest warrants….