The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted 24 immigration arrests in Martin County on Tuesday, according to data kept by the agency. The Martin County Sheriff's Office confirms FDLE was the agency behind the arrests.
South Florida immigration attorneys are noticing a shift in how federal and local law enforcement are carrying out immigration arrests. The change appears to coincide with Markwayne Mullin replacing Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary in March. Renata Castro, an immigration attorney based in Coral Springs, said she has seen more traffic-related detentions resulting in immigration detentions. Castro said the approach under Noem was markedly different, with arrests without warrants and what she described as a big spectacle overall. Castro said the current arrests are still without warrants but are following the safeguards that local law enforcement must abide by. According to NBC News, ICE arrested 10,000 people over five days this month. WPTV has reached out to ICE and FDLE for comment.