Florida Highway Sweep Nabs 249 Illegal Immigrants as Ghosts

Florida law enforcement agencies have conducted their largest coordinated immigration enforcement operation to date, detaining 249 illegal immigrants in a three-day highway sweep that officials say has only scratched the surface of a much larger problem. According to Fox News, the operation — dubbed Operation 9 — took place on May 13, 2026, along South Florida highways, primarily in Broward County, and involved more than 100 officers from six federal, state, and local agencies.

The ‘Ghosts’ Among Us

Lt. Ramin Sulaiman, assistant commander of the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Immigration Enforcement Section, warned that many of those arrested are “ghosts” — individuals with no law enforcement records or accountability of who they are. “We have no records for them, no accountability of who they are,” Sulaiman said. He added that this figure does not include “the ghosts, meaning the people that have no encounters [with law enforcement]. They’re just here.”

More than 1 million immigrants who entered the United States illegally during the Biden administration told officials at the border that they were headed to Florida, according to Sulaiman. With Florida home to approximately 23.5 million known residents, troopers estimate there are likely millions more uncounted individuals living in the state without legal status.

Operation 9: A Multi-Agency Effort

The operation brought together troopers from FHP, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol, deputies from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, officers from Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, and guardsmen with the Florida State Guard. Since October 2025, Florida has carried out eight similar operations prior to Operation 9, and with each round, partnerships between agencies have become increasingly efficient.

Detainees were processed at an FHP station in Broward County, where they were patted down, offered bottled water and snacks, and prepared for transfer to ICE. According to Nestor Yglesias, a public affairs officer for ICE who participated in the operation, most detainees are offered a choice: an arranged flight back home, or waiting in custody for an immigration hearing. Some leave with cash payments of up to $2,600, depending on individual circumstances.

Escalating Enforcement Under DeSantis

Florida’s immigration enforcement efforts have escalated dramatically since early 2025, driven by Governor Ron DeSantis, who has made immigration enforcement the state’s top law enforcement priority. The legal foundation for this crackdown is the 287(g) Memorandum of Agreement signed on February 7, 2025, which authorizes FHP troopers to perform federal immigration enforcement functions.

DeSantis announced in January 2026 that Operation Tidal Wave — launched in April 2025 — had resulted in over 10,400 arrests, making it the largest joint immigration enforcement effort in ICE history. Since March 2025, FHP troopers have encountered and gathered up more than 10,476 illegal immigrants during routine duties, according to Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Troopers on the Front Lines

Trooper Tony Golden, who focuses on commercial vehicles in Florida’s Panhandle, described the number of illegal immigrants in Florida as “astronomical.” He defended the enforcement approach against accusations of racial profiling. “People accuse officers of targeting people for immigration enforcement. That’s not true,” Golden said. “We are enforcing the law. We don’t pick and choose what we want to enforce.”

Golden, who deployed multiple times to the Texas-Mexico border during the Biden administration, expressed concern about those who evade detection entirely. “The ones that are running around with no [traffic] violations — you might not ever see them. And they could be the worst of the worst,” he said.

Broader Implications

Florida’s approach is part of a broader national trend under the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. The 287(g) program has expanded significantly, with Florida now having 325 such agreements in place — a figure ICE describes as setting the standard nationwide.

However, the enforcement push has not been without controversy. The ACLU of Florida published a report in 2026 alleging that the state’s immigration enforcement efforts have led to increased racial profiling of Hispanic and Latino drivers during traffic stops. Critics also argue that the focus on immigration diverts resources from core highway safety functions, with a Tampa Bay Times investigation finding that troopers spent 3,391 hours on immigration enforcement in November and early December 2025 — more than on DUI cases or drug investigations — while spending only 552 hours writing reports for larger crashes.

What’s Next

With the success of Operation 9, Florida is likely to continue expanding its multi-agency immigration enforcement operations. Lt. Sulaiman emphasized that officers treat every detainee with respect. “We’re just doing our jobs. There’s nothing personal,” he said. As the state balances immigration enforcement with traditional highway safety duties, the coming months will reveal whether Florida’s model becomes a template for other states or faces growing legal and operational challenges.