A coordinated Florida task force has reportedly taken more than 400 undocumented immigrants who are registered as sex offenders and predators into custody in a sweeping statewide operation, according to officials and local reporting on Wednesday. The effort pulled together federal, state and local agencies after months of data analysis and surveillance aimed at tracking high-risk registrants. Among those arrested was a suspect taken into custody in Miami-Dade County, authorities and local reporters said.
The tally, described as “more than 400,” was reported by the Tampa Free Press, which identified the initiative as “Operation Criminal Return.” The outlet reported the operation was conducted in partnership between the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with FDLE’s Missing Persons and Offender Enforcement Division leading intensive surveillance and analysis to zero in on primary targets.
Operation Criminal Return: The backstory
Federal and state officials previously ran a 10-day surge under the same name in late October and November 2025 that resulted in roughly 230 arrests, many of them identified as sexual predators. CBS News covered that earlier sweep, and a year-end summary from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement says the operation relied on expanded 287(g) partnerships and targeted child predators, rapists and other violent offenders.
Reporters have pointed to Ariel Hurtado as a key target in the latest round of arrests. He was arrested in Miami-Dade County and, according to local reporting, has prior convictions that include nine counts of lewd or lascivious molestation and a prior conviction for lewd or lascivious exhibition involving a minor. The Tampa Free Press reports that Hurtado was transferred to ICE facilities for processing and possible removal to federal custody.
Community response
Immigrant-rights advocates have pushed back on large federal-state sweeps like this one, calling them unfair and stigmatizing. Activists held a prayer vigil outside the Miami immigration court and urged officials to account for community trust and due-process concerns. CBS News reported that critics argue aggressive interior enforcement can damage relationships between residents and local law enforcement and ripple through families far beyond those directly arrested.
How the arrests are handled
FDLE has said it trains and federally certifies eligible state and local officers under ICE’s 287(g) program, which authorizes local partners to assist with immigration enforcement and can speed the transfer of detainees to federal custody. Agency materials also describe routine address verifications and registration checks as part of ongoing compliance efforts tied to Florida’s sexual offender and predator registry.
If the “more than 400” figure reported locally holds, it would represent a substantial jump from the roughly 230 arrests disclosed by DHS and ICE in November 2025, when federal officials described a 10-day enforcement surge in a DHS press release. State and federal agencies have not issued a single, consolidated statewide update confirming the new total. Hoodline will update this story if officials release additional figures or statements.
