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The following is a press release provided by the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis. It has been published here as received, without additional reporting or editing by Alachua County Today staff.

 August 22, 2025

PANAMA CITY, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the results of a first-of-its kind law enforcement operation targeting illegal immigration—Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation. This operation led by the Florida Highway Patrol in coordination with federal partners at ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is part of a comprehensive, multi-agency immigration enforcement detail targeting illegal aliens with criminal records, fugitives, and repeat immigration violators.

“This week, a first-of-its-kind immigration enforcement operation started in Florida’s Panhandle, led by the Florida Highway Patrol in coordination with federal partners," said Governor Ron DeSantis. ”The Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation has apprehended hundreds of illegal aliens—including fugitives with criminal records and repeat unlawful border crossers. Florida continues to deliver on the mandate to secure our interior and protect our citizens from the threat of illegal immigration.”

Panhandle Immigration Enforcement Operation early highlights include:

  • 45 FHP troopers and 20 federal personnel carrying out enforcement across Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes, Bay, Washington, and Jackson counties.
  • Nearly 200 illegal aliens apprehended.
  • 37 illegal aliens arrested who previously received final orders of removal and failed to appear in court.
  • Eight illegal aliens apprehended who had been deported and illegally reentered the United States—one of which had been deported four times. These individuals will be federally charged.

“The FHP Immigration Enforcement Unit has demonstrated unprecedented success in apprehending illegal aliens,” said Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner. “Working hand in hand with our federal partners, we are creating an enforcement model that can truly impact the illegal immigration crisis.”

Florida state troopers encountered illegal aliens who have fled, resisted arrest, and physically assaulted officers—underscoring the heightened danger posed by criminal illegal aliens. Florida continues to face escalating attempts by criminal illegal aliens to infiltrate our communities, posing a direct and growing threat to the safety of our citizens and visitors.

This operation sends a clear and uncompromising message: Florida will not tolerate lawlessness within its borders. We will continue to deploy every available resource to identify, apprehend, and remove those who seek to exploit our state and endanger our people.

Governor DeSantis also announced that Florida has launched weekly deportation flights out of Tallahassee, in partnership with ICE and the U.S. Coast Guard. Last week, the first deportation flight departed Tallahassee with 20 illegal aliens on board.

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