Florida has recorded the second-highest number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of any state this year, behind only Texas, according to federal arrest records compiled by the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonprofit research group.
The group's state-by-state table, built from ICE data obtained through a public records request, counts 28,724 ICE arrests in Florida from January through Aug. 5, 2026. Texas had 53,636 over the same span. Florida also ranked second in 2025, with 35,898 arrests, up from 10,650 in 2024.
Most Florida arrests start with local law enforcement
The table splits arrests by how they happened. Of Florida's 2026 total, 15,855 followed a detainer, a request that a local jail hold someone for ICE, and another 5,841 were made at other law enforcement locations. The remaining 7,028 were arrests out in the community.
The Deportation Data Project, which also tracks ICE records, counted more than 3,300 immigration-related arrests in Florida in May and more than 7,300 in July, Action News Jax reported.
Different views on 287(g)
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Action News Jax this week that the increase reflects Florida's heavy use of the 287(g) program, under which ICE delegates some immigration enforcement powers to state and local officers.
"The state of Florida is probably the best actor we have with the 287(g) program, where they augment our force," he said, adding that the program has allowed the agency "to speed up the immigration enforcement."
