Key Takeaways
• Governor DeSantis proposes Florida National Guardsmen serve as immigration judges to accelerate deportations.
• Operation Tidal Wave involved over 1,120 arrests and multi-agency cooperation, targeting those with final removal orders.
• Florida leads the U.S. in 287(g) agreements, allowing local law enforcement enhanced immigration officer powers.
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing for a dramatic change in immigration enforcement. He has asked the Trump administration to let Florida National Guardsmen serve as immigration judges. This idea is a big part of how Florida is trying to deal with the increasing challenges of immigration control. It follows Operation Tidal Wave, a huge, week-long action that led to over a thousand arrests. The goal? To speed up the deportation process and show a strong dedication to law enforcement in the state.
Record-setting Operation Tidal Wave
Operation Tidal Wave stands out for its size and reach in Florida 🇺🇸’s history. It was not a small action. Instead, it was the largest joint immigration enforcement push the state has ever seen. This operation brought together many groups, including:
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- Florida Highway Patrol
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
- Florida National Guard
- Various county sheriff’s offices
The action lasted a week and included officers at many levels of law enforcement. Its main focus was finding people with final deportation orders and those who had arrest warrants for past crimes. The numbers were striking: out of 1,120 people taken into custody, 378 were described as “criminal illegal aliens” who already had final orders of removal given by immigration judges.
At a press conference in Miramar, Governor DeSantis said, “Florida is the tip of the spear” when it comes to backing federal immigration enforcement efforts. He emphasized how teamwork between different agencies made this operation possible. By bringing so many groups together, Operation Tidal Wave acted as both a strong response and a test for even larger enforcement plans.
The Proposal: Making Guardsmen Immigration Judges
Following the big impact of Operation Tidal Wave, Governor DeSantis has now taken his plans a step further. He sent a formal request to the Department of Homeland Security. His idea is simple in concept but bold in practice: give authority to Florida National Guardsmen to act as immigration judges. The hope is that this step will help move people with final removal orders through the system much more quickly.
Governor DeSantis explained his thinking by pointing out, “We have both a National Guard and a state guard, who are used to responding to different types of contingencies. We’re ready, willing and able to take it to the next level.” He said these Guardsmen could move from one job to another quickly, offering more hands to the immigration process.
He also defended how the process would stay within the law. DeSantis said that immigration judges are different from Article 3 judges—those who are part of the regular court system. Instead, these judges are part of the executive branch, so they do not have the same status as traditional judges. He argued that Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers in the National Guard already have legal training. With the federal government’s green light, these Guardsmen could be deputized for this job. A state official told Florida’s Voice that this would be mostly an administrative step, just needing the right approval from Washington.
Governor DeSantis pushed back against critics who worry about legal fairness. He said, “Tens of thousands of illegal aliens in Florida at a minimum have already been issued final orders of removal, and there’s hundreds of thousands of them throughout the United States 🇺🇸.” To him, the key point is that the people targeted already went through the legal process and were ordered to leave the country.
A Closer Look at Immigration Judges
Immigration judges in the United States 🇺🇸 are an important part of the deportation process. But, unlike regular judges in federal court, they work for the executive branch—meaning they’re part of the Department of Justice, not the judiciary. Their main job is to decide if someone should be removed from the country or allowed to stay. Because of this, DeSantis argues that it makes sense for well-trained military lawyers from the National Guard to fill this job, at least temporarily.
This idea does not have any historic parallel. Usually, immigration judges are career lawyers with special expertise in immigration law. There’s concern about whether military officers, even those with legal backgrounds, would have the needed knowledge or if their new role might raise questions about fairness or independence.
Broader Enforcement in Florida
The push to use Florida National Guardsmen is just one part of a much larger plan for immigration enforcement in Florida 🇺🇸. Florida leads the country in the number of 287(g) partnerships. The 287(g) program gets its name from a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It allows ICE to give some immigration officer powers to local law enforcement. In Florida, all 67 counties have signed these agreements with their sheriff’s departments.
But the changes don’t stop there. The governor’s office has also shared plans to build tents to increase space for detaining people awaiting removal. Even departments that might not usually get involved—like the Florida Lottery or the Division of Alcohol, Beverage and Tobacco—are now part of the 287(g) effort.
Larry Keefe, who is the Executive Director of Florida’s new State Board of Immigration Enforcement, called Operation Tidal Wave a “test run.” He said, “This is gonna be a sustained, persistent effort.” In other words, the state’s actions are not meant to be just a one-time response—they will go on.
According to ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, this matches the Trump administration’s plans for immigration, stressing public safety. Sheahan said, “President Donald Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and ICE are committed to making sure our American families are safe in their own communities because we have zero tolerance for illegal aliens.”
What Could Happen Next?
Allowing Florida National Guardsmen to act as immigration judges would bring a major shift to how immigration cases are handled in Florida 🇺🇸. Speeding up the process could allow faster removal of those with final deportation orders. This could lead to:
- Less crowding in detention centers, since people might not wait as long for a decision
- More people actually being deported, as cases move more quickly through the system
- Greater involvement of military and state officers in jobs usually handled by federal civil servants
But it’s not that simple. There could also be major legal and ethical challenges. Critics might say that removing people faster could harm their rights or make mistakes more likely. Immigration judges face tricky questions about legal status, asylum, and protection from return to dangerous countries. Speeding up this process could mean that some people do not have enough time to make their case. Currently, the official role and duties of immigration judges are carefully detailed by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which can be reviewed on their official government website.
Who Would Feel the Changes Most?
Several groups would be directly impacted by this proposal:
Immigrants
For those in the process or waiting on a decision, this change could make things move much faster. For people who have already been ordered removed, it could mean less time in detention. But for others, a quicker process might not give them enough time to prepare or find a lawyer.
Florida National Guardsmen
These military personnel could find themselves taking on a duty that is very different from what they’re used to. Acting as immigration judges would bring new training needs and possibly more legal risks and responsibilities. It could also shift how the public sees the role of the National Guard in Florida 🇺🇸.
Employers and Local Communities
Employers, especially those who hire immigrant workers, might see changes in who is available to work. If removals increase, the local work force could shrink, especially in labor-heavy industries. Local communities may notice more enforcement actions and more collaboration between local law enforcement and federal agencies.
Immigration Judges
Current immigration judges could see their authority questioned or their jobs made harder if temporary judges with different backgrounds join their ranks. The change might also affect morale and how decisions are made in the courts.
Different Views on the Plan
Governor DeSantis and his administration see this step as a good way to speed things up and keep Florida safe. They argue it fits within the rules and builds on the state’s leading role in working with federal agencies.
But others worry about what would happen if military officers take on jobs that require careful legal judgment about people’s futures. For example, immigration advocates or lawyers might argue that military-style decision-making is not the same as the careful, neutral approach found in civilian courts.
Legal experts may ask if it is really possible to maintain full fairness and independence when the process is sped up and handled by those with mainly military experience. There are also questions about whether the federal government would approve such a change, as federal rules about how immigration judges are picked and trained are strict.
A Test Case for the Country
Florida 🇺🇸 is known for trying new things in immigration enforcement. With Operation Tidal Wave, the state has already shown it can coordinate many agencies at once. The proposal to use Florida National Guardsmen as immigration judges is new—it has not been done before. If allowed, it could serve as a test for other states that want to take on more immigration enforcement work themselves.
Analysis from VisaVerge.com suggests that many eyes across the country will be on Florida to see if this plan gets approved and how it works out in real life. If successful, it could lead other states to make similar requests, bringing big changes throughout the United States 🇺🇸 immigration courts.
In Summary
Florida’s plan to have Florida National Guardsmen serve as immigration judges is one piece of a growing effort by the state to step up immigration enforcement. Operation Tidal Wave showed how joint efforts could work and hinted at what the future might hold. The next step—waiting on approval from the federal government—will be critical. If approved, it will speed up the deportation process, but it also brings serious questions about fairness and due process.
For now, Florida 🇺🇸 remains at the front line of the country’s immigration debates. The state is trying new approaches, not only to support federal policies but also to set its own pace on how quickly people ordered to be removed are actually sent home. As the story unfolds, the outcome will have a big impact on immigrants, law enforcement, and the justice system. For more detailed information on how immigration courts work and what roles judges play, you can visit the official government page outlining the immigration court process.
Whether the use of Florida National Guardsmen as immigration judges will work or not remains to be seen. What’s certain is that this proposal marks a new chapter in the ongoing conversation about how the United States 🇺🇸 handles immigration and what roles states can play in that process. All eyes are now on both Florida law-makers and federal officials as they weigh the next steps in this bold plan.
Learn Today
Operation Tidal Wave → A large, week-long immigration enforcement campaign in Florida resulting in over 1,120 arrests and multi-agency coordination.
Florida National Guardsmen → Members of Florida’s military reserve force, proposed to serve as temporary immigration judges under DeSantis’s plan.
287(g) agreements → Legal partnerships granting local law enforcement some of ICE’s immigration authority, used by all 67 Florida counties.
Final order of removal → A judge’s formal decision that a noncitizen must leave the United States, typically following exhaustion of appeals.
Judge Advocate General (JAG) → Legal officers in the military who provide legal advice and are being considered for administrative immigration judge roles.
This Article in a Nutshell
Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis wants Florida National Guardsmen to serve as immigration judges, a first-of-its-kind proposal. Following Operation Tidal Wave’s 1,120 arrests, this move aims to accelerate deportations. If approved by federal authorities, the plan could reshape immigration enforcement, raising questions about due process and legal fairness for immigrants statewide.
— By VisaVerge.com
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