ICE Sharpens Focus on Arresting Non-Criminal Immigrants in Florida

Florida has emerged as a focal point for an unprecedented immigration crackdown. In June, 36% of immigrants apprehended by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had no criminal records or charges against them, according to official data analyzed by the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley. This figure, which is three times the rate reported just two months earlier, underscores a significant shift in immigration operations under Donald Trump's administration, leading to a surge in reports of arbitrary detentions, chaos within immigrant communities, and dire conditions in detention centers, as reported by Axios.

Since May, following an executive order mandating a minimum of 3,000 daily arrests, ICE has intensified operations in neighborhoods, workplaces, and residential areas. The Miami field office region, encompassing Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, has notably reflected this intensified approach. In June, more than one-third of those detained had no criminal background, compared to 21% in April. Nationally, the share of arrests without prior offenses reached 47% that month.

"Now, any undocumented immigrant is targeted, regardless of their criminal history," stated David Bier from the Cato Institute. He noted that this strategy has resulted in "chaos on the streets" and diminished public support for Republican immigration policies.

Florida: Center Stage for Immigration Raids

This year, ICE has conducted over 10,800 arrests in Florida, marking a 200% increase from the previous year. Seven cities, including Miami, Tallahassee, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Stuart, and Tampa, are at the heart of this activity, with significant cooperation between local and federal authorities through 287(g) agreements. These agreements enable state police to act as immigration agents.

Florida leads the nation with 295 such agreements, accounting for 43% of the total nationwide, a crucial element in the surge of detentions. The high volume of arrests has overwhelmed detention facilities. At locations like Krome North in Miami and the improvised Alligator Alcatraz camp in the Everglades, migrants report inadequate medical care, insufficient food, and overcrowded conditions. The Pinellas County jail has seen a fourfold increase in ICE detentions over two years, with instances of 220 individuals sleeping on floors, according to the local sheriff.

Cubans Under Scrutiny

Cubans are not exempt from this new wave of enforcement. Over 42,000 face final deportation orders in the U.S., with hundreds under supervised release or detained in Louisiana and New Mexico. In July alone, 118 Cubans were deported to Havana, marking the seventh official flight of the year from U.S. soil. Three were handed over directly to State Security due to alleged offenses prior to leaving Cuba.

Since Trump's return to the White House in January, his administration has resumed mass deportation flights to Cuba and dismantled relief measures such as humanitarian parole and CBP One, leaving thousands in legal limbo. ICE has reported 150,000 deportations worldwide this year, with a federal target of one million by the end of 2025. If current trends persist, this year could become the busiest since the Obama administration, albeit with a harsher focus as the priority shifts from criminals to sheer numbers.

"The war on undocumented immigrants proceeds relentlessly," warned Bier. In this crossfire, thousands of families, many of them Cuban, live in constant fear, uncertain if their next workday, medical appointment, or grocery trip will end in detention and subsequent deportation.