In a week-long operation in central Florida, agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the support of state and local law enforcement, arrested over 400 undocumented immigrants. Among those apprehended were individuals previously convicted of offenses such as sexual crimes, domestic violence, drug-related charges, and vehicle assaults, as per the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS officials noted that during this operation in late September, they detained a foreign national with a history of serious criminal charges, including sexual offenses and domestic violence.
ICE recruited law enforcement personnel authorized to enforce immigration laws under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Participating agencies included the Florida Highway Patrol, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida State Guard.
Florida holds the highest number of agreements with ICE, leveraging Section 287(g) to enhance immigration enforcement. According to ICE, Florida has 327 out of a total of 1,036 memorandums of agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies.
As of September, 40 states permit local law enforcement to collaborate with ICE on immigration enforcement, like identifying removable individuals and hosting administrative warrants in local jails, also participating in ICE-led operations.
However, some states have laws that inhibit law enforcement from cooperating with ICE, which include California, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, New Jersey, Hawaii, Delaware, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
The DHS announced these arrests on Tuesday, noting the various crimes of those apprehended, including:
- Walther Ramiro Hernandez-Ortiz, a citizen of Honduras, was arrested for indecent behavior and battery.
- Juan Carlos Hernandez Reyes, a Mexican national, has prior convictions for domestic violence and prostitution, and was arrested again for battery and disorderly conduct.
- Edgar Rivera Salinas, also a Mexican citizen, had a history of vehicle theft and marijuana possession, and was arrested for illegal entry to avoid prosecution.
- Efrain Santos-Palacios, another Mexican citizen, was arrested for driving under the influence and causing an accident.
- Uvaldino Hernandez Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, faced charges for hit-and-run, reckless driving, multiple counts of unlicensed vehicle modifications, and a probation violation.
- Yoni Mendez-Lopez, a Mexican national, was arrested for various offenses, including resisting law enforcement and operating a vehicle without a valid license.
“This operation was a significant success, targeting the most dangerous individuals in Florida, and can serve as a model for national operations,” stated DHS Deputy Chief Tricia McLaughlin regarding the Florida initiative. “The operation resulted in over 400 arrests of individuals linked to serious crimes such as indecent behavior, domestic violence, and driving under the influence.”
