Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference about a recent immigration enforcement operation, at the South Florida office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Miramar, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

MIRAMAR, Fla. (AP) — A record 1,120 people accused of being in the U.S. illegally were arrested in less than a week during sweep orchestrated by federal, state and local authorities in Florida, an operation officials credited on Thursday to the burgeoning number of local police departments and state agencies that have joined President Donald Trump’s drive for mass deportations.

That cooperation was on display Thursday when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to tout the arrests.

“We will continue to engage in broad interior enforcement efforts,” said DeSantis at a joint press conference with federal officials. “This is just the beginning.”

Local police can make immigration arrests and detain people for immigration violations under specific agreements. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had 135 agreements across 21 states in December. That number has since jumped to 517 deals across 39 states, with an additional 74 agencies pending approval.

As the Trump administration ramps up cooperation with state and local agencies, it is moving to retaliate against those that limit helping immigration authorities. On Monday, the president signed an executive order to publish a list of “sanctuary” jurisdictions and reiterated threats of criminal charges against state or local officials who thwart federal policy.

Advocates who oppose local officials getting into immigration enforcement say the practice violates a clause in the U.S. Constitution that makes federal, not state, authorities responsible for it.

“This is finding methods to terrorize communities,” said Katie Blankenship, an immigration attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South, adding that local law enforcement officers aren't trained to handle immigration issues "in any sort of just manner.”

Trumps deportation goals may be too big for ICE alone

ICE, which has about 6,000 deportation officers, needs help achieving Trump's goal of deporting many of the roughly 11 million people in the country illegally, a conservative estimate.

Texas, whose Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has closely allied himself with Trump on immigration, has 76 enforcement agreements on record, the second-largest number of any state. They include one inked April 10 with the state National Guard. Texas has also signed an agreement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for its National Guard to arrest people at the border.

Georgia and North Carolina have also joined Trump's cause, but no state approaches Florida's cooperation, with agencies from all 67 counties signing on. Some participating institutions appear to have little, if anything, to do with immigration enforcement, including the Florida Department of Lottery Services and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

No such agreements were signed during the Biden administration. Many of the new pacts adhere to a “task force model” under which police arrest immigrants on the streets and in communities, as opposed to a “jail enforcement model” under which ICE takes custody of people only when they are put in state and local jails or prisons.

Lena Graber, a senior staff attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, which advocates for immigrants, said the Obama administration phased out the task force model in 2012 over widespread concern that law enforcement organizations authorized under it were racially profiling people when making arrests.

Details about those arrested are slim

On Thursday, DeSantis and federal officials offered some details of “Operation Tidal Wave,” the multiagency law enforcement operation that, according to ICE, culminated with arresting the largest number of people in the U.S. illegally in a single state in one week since the agency was created in 2003.

“While this may be the first ... operation of its kind, thanks to the governor, it’s not going to be the last,” said Madison Sheahan, ICE deputy director. “We will not stop,” she said, "because there’s no tolerance for criminal, illegal aliens.”

Federal officials said the 1,120 people arrested included many subject to final orders of removal and who had criminal convictions on their records, gang members from organizations like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, sex offenders and fugitives from justice. Most of the arrested were from Guatemala (437) and Mexico (280).

Officials provided few details about the people arrested, how they were arrested or where. They identified eight people by name whom they alleged had criminal records beyond being in the country illegally.

The Florida Immigrant Coalition, an organization with more than 80 members across the state, said authorities showed no evidence that those they detained had committed crimes against the public.

“DeSantis and ICE are dodging the truth,” said Renatta Bozzetto, deputy director at FLIC. “The story they are not telling is that they are ignoring due process, ripping families apart.”

Florida officials say many local agencies are still waiting for federal training to aid in future immigration actions. The latest ICE arrests show how state and local roles may grow.

One operation involved about 80 state troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol and targeted people in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tallahassee, as well as in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, said Bill Smith, president of FHP’s chapter of the Florida Police Benevolent Association. A spokesperson for Florida Highway Patrol did not respond to questions.

Some immigrant advocates said most arrests were by local police officers and state highway patrol troopers, not ICE. People were detained during traffic stops or when leaving work. Some had no criminal records and were seeking asylum, or had work permits, advocates said.

One family is suddenly torn apart

Jessica Ramírez, general coordinator at the Florida Farm Workers Association, said that most of those arrested were men. In some cases, though not many, ICE officials knocked on the door of immigrants' houses, she said.

“People are extremely afraid to go out and drive, afraid of the police,” said Ramírez. “The recommendation is to drive carefully, follow the rules, and not give the police a reason to stop them.”

Chica, a 25-year-old Guatemalan woman who asked to be identified only by her first name for fear of being detained, said her partner Fernando, the father of her 3-month-old baby, was detained Friday morning as he was riding in a car with three other immigrants to his construction job. Chica hasn’t heard from him since.

“Honey, the police caught us,” Fernando, a 20-year-old Guatemalan, texted her Friday at 7:47 a.m.

Chica said he had a pending asylum application and a work permit. Police asked the driver of the car to show his license but he did not have one. Officers then detained all four, including Fernando, who came to the U.S alone in 2020.

“I’m really worried. I can’t believe they caught him,” said Chica, who is now considering going back to Guatemala. “I’m afraid they’ll deport him and I’ll be left here without anyone’s help."

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Payne reported from Tallahassee, Florida. Rebecca Santana contributed from Washington.

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