Florida ICE Arrests Hit 29,000 This Year, Driven by Local Police Partnerships

Florida has become the second-largest site of federal immigration enforcement in the United States this year. The state recorded approximately 29,000 arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement through August 6, trailing only Texas in total numbers.

The figures come from the Deportation Data Project, a group that obtains federal records through Freedom of Information Act requests. The data shows a sharp acceleration in detention activity during the summer months. On average, federal agents made more than 200 arrests per day during that period. This rate is nearly double the daily average recorded in the earlier part of the year.

The administration under President Donald Trump has shifted its operational strategy since returning to office in 2025. Officials have moved away from the large-scale, high-visibility operations seen previously in cities like Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Chicago. Instead, the government has scaled back those major deployments and increased reliance on state and local partners to conduct enforcement actions.

This shift has made the surge in arrests less visible to the general public despite the rising counts. State law mandates that state agencies and county sheriff's offices sign 287(g) agreements. These contracts deputize local officers to perform specific immigration-related tasks. Many municipal police departments have also entered into similar partnerships, further expanding the network of local officers involved in federal enforcement.

The expansion of local involvement has changed the profile of those detained. More than half of the individuals arrested in Florida this year had no prior criminal charge or conviction on record. This trend contradicts the administration's frequent public assertion that it is targeting the "worst of the worst" offenders. ICE does not publish the specific underlying charge or conviction associated with each individual arrest.

Independent analyses support the finding that a growing share of detainees lack criminal histories. A Cato Institute analysis of data leaked in October 2025 found that only 5% of people detained by ICE had violent convictions. A separate analysis by The New York Times determined that 7% of those arrested between January and October of last year had violent convictions. Both studies indicate that the majority of those booked by ICE are not violent offenders.

Local journalists have documented specific cases where this partnership model leads to detention. State or local officers have stopped immigrants for traffic violations and subsequently transferred them to ICE custody. In many of these instances, the traffic violation was the most serious charge the individual faced. These cases include a Hillsborough County father who was beaten during a traffic stop before detention and a young Sarasota woman who chose voluntary departure to Mexico.

Joseph Nohava, an organizer with the Tampa Immigrants Rights Committee, stated that it would be impossible for ICE to function without the support of local law enforcement. He noted that the heightened enforcement has created a climate of fear within immigrant communities. Many residents now avoid leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary. The group conducts monthly door-to-door walks to distribute resources and information about rights.

Nohava said that almost every recent walk has involved at least one person sharing a story of a friend, coworker, or family member being taken by ICE. These accounts reflect the personal impact of the increased detention rates across the state. The data through August 6 stands as the most recent available from the Deportation Data Project.