State and federal law enforcement officials in Florida announced the results of a 10-day operation leading to the arrests of over 200 criminal illegal immigrants.

“Operation Criminal Return,” which has also been referred to as “Operation Dirtbag,” nabbed 230 criminal illegal aliens “who are registered sex offenders and have egregious criminal histories,” according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) press release.

Deputy ICE Director Madison Sheahan noted in a press conference how the “worst of the worst” have been arrested.

OPERATION DIRTBAG: “@POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem have made it a priority to let the men and women of ICE go out and do their job to make historic partnerships like here in the state of Florida… together we have been able to remove over 230 heinous criminals from their… pic.twitter.com/oyie7MnwYS

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) November 13, 2025

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement partnered with ICE in the statewide initiative that targeted convicted sexual predators and offenders with criminal histories that include “sexual assault, sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation of children, possession of narcotics, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, burglary, attempted premeditated murder with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery.”

.@ICEDeputy Madison Sheahan: “In just 10 days, we’ve been able to remove, in partnership with the state of Florida, over 230 of the worst of the worst, heinous criminals from their streets.” pic.twitter.com/Pxa0uVESCh

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 13, 2025

ICE shared a link to video footage from the operation that began on October 25.

“Through Operation Criminal Return, hundreds of the most dangerous illegal criminal aliens with horrific criminal histories, including sexual crimes against children, are off our streets and will be out of our country soon,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement. “Florida has been the most aggressive state in America on combating illegal immigration, and our state and local law enforcement agencies are doing more every day to be the federal government’s greatest tool in the fight to enforce immigration law.”

Operation Criminal Return has successfully removed 230 criminal aliens — many of whom were sexual predators — off the streets.

The joint operation between FDLE and ICE demonstrates the positive results of our state-federal collaboration on interior enforcement efforts. pic.twitter.com/vI8JuWCcVa

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 13, 2025

“This operation underscores President Trump and Secretary Noem’s determination to target and remove dangerous criminal alien predators from the United States,” Sheahan said in a statement. “Sanctuary cities that shield these criminals from accountability undermine the rule of law and jeopardize the safety of their residents. By contrast, Florida has shown exceptional leadership and dedication to public safety through strong partnerships with ICE. Together, we send an unmistakable message: Criminal aliens who threaten our citizens and violate our laws will be removed and prevented from committing further heinous crimes.”

FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass vowed that the state “will not harbor criminal aliens who threaten public safety.”

“Through this joint operation with ICE, we located and arrested convicted illegal alien sexual offenders and predators, ensuring they can no longer harm our communities,” Glass said. “In Florida, strong partnerships are vital to public safety, and our collaboration with ICE provides a model for the rest of the country as we continue to carry out the mission of President Trump and Governor DeSantis in removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities.”

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Frieda Powers

Senior Staff Writer
Frieda@bizpacreview.com

Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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