Florida has stepped up its immigration enforcement in 2025, making it the state with the highest level of cooperation with federal immigration authorities. This shift, driven by new laws and agreements, has led to more detentions, expanded roles for local police, and new challenges for immigrants and their families. The changes affect how people are arrested, held, and transferred between jails, often before they can speak to a lawyer or contact their loved ones.
Aggressive Expansion of 287(g) Agreements
In February 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida law enforcement agencies would sign new agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These agreements, known as 287(g) Agreements, allow local and state officers—including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the Florida State Guard—to act as federal immigration agents. By July 2025, more than 76% of Florida law enforcement agencies had signed these agreements, the highest rate in the country. This means local officers can now identify, detain, and process immigrants for removal directly from county jails.
Mandatory Detention and the Laken Riley Act
A new federal law, the Laken Riley Act, took effect in January 2025. It requires ICE to detain any immigrant charged with a wide range of crimes, even minor ones like shoplifting. Florida’s new laws make sure that local jails follow ICE detainers—official requests to hold someone for ICE—and quickly transfer noncitizens to federal custody. Often, this happens before the person can get legal help or challenge their detention.
Creation of the Office of State Immigration Enforcement
Florida also set up the Office of State Immigration Enforcement in January 2025. This office, part of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, coordinates with federal agencies, enforces compliance with ICE detainers, and keeps track of available jail space for ICE use. The office can penalize local agencies that do not follow immigration detainer requests, making sure that state and local cooperation with ICE remains strong.
New Crimes and Tougher Penalties
In March 2025, Florida passed Senate Bill 4-C, which makes it a crime to enter the state as an undocumented person. The minimum penalty is nine months in jail, which goes beyond federal law. Local police can now arrest undocumented immigrants for this new state crime, even if they have not broken any federal immigration laws. This funnels more people into the deportation system.
Secrecy and Limited Access to Information
The new agreements with ICE say that records created under these partnerships are federal records. This can limit public access, making it hard for families, lawyers, and journalists to find out if someone is in custody. Some advocates worry that people may “disappear” into the jail system, with ICE controlling who can get information about them.
Facility Expansion and Detention Conditions
To handle the rising number of detainees, Florida has repurposed the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Miami for ICE use and is building a new 5,000-bed detention center in the Everglades, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” This new facility is expected to cost $450 million each year. Reports from groups like Human Rights Watch describe overcrowding, dirty conditions, lack of medical care, and even deaths due to slow emergency response in these facilities.
How the Process Works in Florida Jails
- Arrest and Booking: When a noncitizen is arrested and booked into a Florida jail, officers check their immigration status and notify ICE if they think the person can be removed from the country.
- ICE Detainer Issued: If ICE issues a detainer, local agencies must hold the person for transfer, notify the state attorney, and give ICE a list of all inmates and their immigration status if asked.
- Transfer or Continued Detention: Under 287(g) agreements, local officers can process paperwork and detain people for ICE, sometimes moving them between jails to get around federal rules about how long someone can be held.
- Limited Public Access: Information about detainees may be classified as federal records, making it hard for families and advocates to find or contact them.
- Deportation or Further Detention: Detainees may be sent to ICE custody, held in state or federal facilities, or deported—sometimes to countries other than their own, under new federal policies.
Jail Transfers and “Dodge” Tactics
To follow or get around federal rules about detention time, some immigrants are moved between jails or briefly released and then re-arrested. This resets the detention clock and makes it harder for lawyers to challenge the detention. These tactics are possible because of the close cooperation between Florida agencies and ICE.
Transparency and Due Process Concerns
Because ICE-related jail records are now federal records, families and lawyers often struggle to find out where someone is being held. This can make it hard for detainees to get legal help or even let their families know they are safe. Legal advocates warn that this could lead to people being held without anyone knowing where they are.
Legal Challenges and Pushback
Immigrant rights groups have filed lawsuits against Florida’s new laws, especially those that make it a crime to be undocumented and punish local officials who do not cooperate with ICE. As of August 2025, these laws are still in effect while the courts decide their fate.
Impact on Local Officials
Local officials who do not sign ICE cooperation agreements risk being removed from office by the state attorney general. Some have handed over authority to mayors or other leaders to avoid public votes on these controversial agreements.
Supporters and Critics
Supporters, including state and federal officials, say that aggressive enforcement and expanded cooperation with ICE make communities safer and restore the rule of law. Critics, including legal experts and immigrant advocates, warn that these policies break up families, deny due process, and criminalize ordinary immigrants and their supporters.
Looking Ahead
Lawsuits could change or stop some of these policies, but for now, all major rules remain in place. The new Everglades detention facility is set to open later in 2025, which will increase Florida’s capacity to detain immigrants. As long as the state and federal governments remain closely aligned, these tough enforcement practices are likely to continue.
Practical Guidance
Families and advocates who need to locate someone in detention or seek legal help can contact organizations like the Community Justice Project or the ACLU of Florida. For official information about ICE and immigration enforcement, visit the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement website.
As reported by VisaVerge.com, Florida’s approach now leads the nation in the number of law enforcement agencies participating in 287(g) agreements, making it one of the toughest states for undocumented immigrants and their families. Staying informed and seeking legal support quickly is more important than ever for those affected by these changes.
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