Skip to content

Friday, Nov. 21, 2025

Were 230 illegal immigrants arrested in a single operation in Florida?

Clinton Engelberger | Suncoast Searchlight, Suncoast Searchlight
yes

About 230 unauthorized immigrants were arrested in Operation Criminal Return, a 10-day joint operation between ICE and Florida law enforcement that was launched on Oct. 25.

The people targeted all were convicted criminals and accused of being in the country illegally. Of those arrested, authorities said 150 were sexual predators.

Not all immigration raids and operations target criminals, however. In the United States., being in the country without proper documentation isn’t a crime –– it’s a civil offense. Therefore, some immigrants ICE detain are not subject to criminal trials. Instead, an immigration judge handles their case and decides whether or not they should be deported.

Florida has the third most unauthorized immigrants in the country, with an estimated 1.6 million in 2023, according to PEW Research Center. It follows behind Texas (2.1 million) and California (2.3 million).

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.

See all fact briefs
Learn More

Latest Fact Briefs

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.