The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched and succeeded in a massive operation targeting illegal alien sex predators across the state of Florida, using an enforcement surge to crack down on them and arrest over 150 such predators while working alongside a slew of local law enforcement partners.
For reference, DHS has been using such surge tactics across the country to increase how many illegal aliens it captures and how many cities it cracks down on, flooding sanctuary cities like Chicago and Portland with officers while also pouring officers into friendlier jurisdictions, such as Florida and Indiana, to crack down on the illegal alien crime problem.
Such is what was done with Operation Dirtbag, as the DHS called it, with the department working alongside the friendly jurisdiction to launch a massive, sweeping operation targeting illegal alien sex offenders in the state of Florida, many of whom had absolutely awful charges in their backgrounds.
Announcing the operation’s success in a press release, DHS said, “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the arrests of more than 150 illegal alien sex offenders during a major enforcement surge across the state of Florida. This operation was conducted with our state and local 287(g) law enforcement partners.”
Continuing, the statement went on to list off the slew of crimes of which the captured illegal aliens had been convicted, saying, “The operation targeted child predators, rapists, and violent criminal illegal aliens with convictions including sexual assault of minors, rape, lewd and lascivious conduct, child exploitation, battery, and attempted homicide.”
Then, noting that the operation succeeded in capturing and taking off of Florida’s streets hundreds of illegal aliens overall, many of whom were sex offenders, the statement said, “In total, more than 230 criminal illegal aliens—including 150 sexual predators—were arrested and are off our streets.”
And, commenting generally on the approach taken by the Trump Administration to dealing with the criminal illegal alien problem, the DHS statement provided, “Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, the era of catch-and-release is over. Operation Dirtbag, officially known as Operation Criminal Return, exemplifies a new era of law and order: removing the most violent criminal illegal aliens and keeping our children safe.”
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Watch DHS comment on the operation on Fox News here:
“@Sec_Noem has led the way working with state governors. She ran a state — she knows what it takes to keep our people safe — and this partnership with Florida is a road map for the rest of the country.” – ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons
Operation Dirtbag was made possible by our… pic.twitter.com/TZEEaW3mbl
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) November 13, 2025
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, for her part, noted that the illegal aliens involved were horrific individuals who had targeted children, saying, “I call this Operation Dirtbag because these individuals were not just sex offenders, they TARGETED CHILDREN. Some of the charges include sexual assault, battery, attempted homicide. These 150 illegal aliens will be gone and off our streets.”
Continuing, Secretary Noem noted that, as a result of the hard work done by ICE and its partners in local law enforcement, now children in Florida will be safer and will no longer have such criminal illegal aliens trying to prey on them, as was sadly the case until now. She said, “Our kids will be safer. This partnership with Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida is a model we want to replicate across the country.”
In a post on X, she said, “Our Operation Dirtbag, in partnership with Florida law enforcement, has arrested over 150 illegal alien sexual predators—they will be GONE. As a mother and grandmother, I’m horrified that these dirtbags were able to even step foot in America. Thanks to the leadership of @POTUS Trump, DHS is rapidly removing dangerous illegal alien murderers, rapists, and child sex offenders from our streets.”
Featured image credit: Kristi Noem on X