The sex offenders were among roughly 230 illegal immigrants who were arrested in the state in recent days, she said.
More than 150 illegal immigrant sexual predators were detained in Florida as part of a statewide effort, said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday.
Noem told Fox News that the sex offenders were among roughly 230 illegal immigrants who were arrested in the state in recent days, adding that the sweep was carried out with the assistance of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration.
“This operation was called Operation Criminal Return. I call it Operation Dirtbag, because these individuals were sex offenders, but not just sex offenders, they targeted children,” Noem said in an interview with “Fox & Friends.”
“These 150 individuals will be gone off of our streets. Our kids will be safer.”
The individuals who were arrested “should have never been in our country to begin with,” Noem added.
Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has pursued a government-wide illegal immigration crackdown. The president vowed to initiate the mass deportations of illegal immigrants, especially those with criminal records.
Orders issued by Trump this year include declaring a national emergency at the U.S.–Mexico border after years of relatively high illegal border crossings.
The Trump administration has also been deporting people to countries where they have no ties, including El Salvador in Central America and the African nation of South Sudan. Trump officials have said these illegal immigrants often come from countries that won’t take them back or had been convicted of violent crimes.
Other actions include attempts to redefine birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, which has faced legal challenges. A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled in late July that Trump’s order is unconstitutional, affirming a lower-court decision in New Hampshire that blocked the order’s enforcement nationwide.
The Trump administration has used the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to remove people it accused of being in the Tren de Aragua gang, arguing it’s an invading force. That directive has also faced legal pushback.
Late last month, a Homeland Security official confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing for a large-scale surge in deportation operations across the United States as new agents are to be deployed.
