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When federal agents and Florida law enforcement announced the results of a 10-day sweep this week, the message was clear: dangerous criminals who slipped into our country illegally are being rounded up and taken off the streets. Operation Criminal Return — bluntly nicknamed Operation Dirtbag by ICE officials — resulted in more than 230 arrests statewide, including roughly 150 sexual predators and dozens charged with violent felonies.
The operation was no accidents-and-PR stunt; it was a coordinated, targeted effort that began in late October and relied on close cooperation between ICE and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Teams focused on registered sex offenders, repeat violent offenders, and those with prior convictions who had immigration-related issues, proving that state-federal partnerships can be a force multiplier when governors and the federal government commit to enforcing the law.
ICE and DHS officials were unapologetic about the brutal nature of the crimes they were targeting — and they should be. ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made no effort to sugarcoat the facts, calling these people the worst of the worst and stressing the need to protect children and vulnerable communities. Their plain talk is exactly what Americans want to hear from leaders who are actually doing something to restore order.
Let’s be honest: this kind of operation exposes the consequences of the last few years of lax interior enforcement and open-border rhetoric. When sanctuary policies and catch-and-release practices create safe harbors for violent offenders, innocent kids and families pay the price — and it’s past time for other states to adopt Florida’s example and stop pretending ideology is more important than public safety.
Florida’s expanded use of 287(g) agreements and state cooperation has shown how local law enforcement can be a powerful partner in deportation and arrest efforts, and the numbers speak for themselves. If Washington really cared about protecting Americans, it would not only celebrate these results but replicate the tactics nationwide until criminals who prey on children are out of our neighborhoods for good.
Democrats and soft-on-crime mayors who wring their hands about immigration enforcement should explain why they prefer headline-grabbing virtue signaling over actions that keep mothers and children safe. Conservatives who believe in law and order should be unapologetic in supporting ICE, state police, and governors who push back hard against the criminal element that flows through our broken borders.
This is a moment for patriotic Americans to stand with law enforcement, not the open-border talking points that excuse the indefensible. We should applaud the boots-on-the-ground work, demand it expand to every state, and remember that securing our borders and enforcing the law is the most basic promise government must keep for its citizens.
