The Florida Highway Patrol's Criminal Alien Apprehension Team says it has taken a Haitian national into custody in Orange County, describing a lengthy list of alleged offenses that includes sexual battery on a juvenile, felony battery, and multiple drug distribution charges. Officials are presenting the arrest as part of CAAT's broader push to target non-citizens with criminal records across Florida.
Recently, FHP's Criminal Alien Apprehension Team, arrested this criminal illegal alien from Haiti in Orange County. CAAT took him off the streets, so you can feel safer knowing dangerous offenders are being held accountable. pic.twitter.com/vZu6DdkqJX
— FLHSMV (@FLHSMV) March 30, 2026
In a March 30 post on X, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said CAAT made the Orange County arrest and listed the allegations as sexual battery on a juvenile, two counts of delivery of cannabis for consideration, two counts of possession of cannabis with intent to sell, possession of cocaine, felony battery, a probation violation and driving while license suspended as a habitual traffic offender. The post referred to the suspect as a "criminal illegal alien from Haiti" and said the team "took him off the streets." FLHSMV on X
CAAT's role in statewide enforcement
The Criminal Alien Apprehension Team is an FHP unit that works with federal partners to identify and detain non-citizens with criminal records inside Florida. State officials last year promoted large multi-agency enforcement drives that resulted in more than 1,100 arrests in a single week and listed Orange County among the participating jurisdictions, signaling that operations like this one fit into a wider statewide strategy. Local reporting has also detailed recent targeted sweeps involving FHP and federal border agents. Fox News
Immigration and legal implications
When state officers identify non-citizens who may be removable, federal partners can pursue immigration detainers or removal actions. ICE's 287(g) framework is the tool that allows specially trained state and local officers to coordinate those steps with federal immigration authorities. As a result, an arrest by CAAT can lead to both criminal proceedings in local courts and separate immigration enforcement actions handled by federal agencies. ICE’s 287(g) program
So far, the agency's social media post has not named the suspect or specified a booking location, and officials have not released additional court records in the hours following the announcement. Formal charges, arraignment dates, and any immigration custody moves are expected to appear in Orange County court dockets and jail logs, with the FLHSMV post serving as the main public source of information at this stage. FLHSMV on X
