Fox News rides along as Florida Highway Patrol begins enforcing federal immigration laws on state roads

The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) is now enforcing federal immigration laws on state roads, and Fox News got an exclusive look inside the groundbreaking effort.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has hailed the initiative as a model for the rest of the nation, saying that Florida is building a system that can be replicated nationwide. The state has become the first to train and deploy troopers under the federal 287(g) agreement, which authorizes designated state officers to enforce immigration law in partnership with federal agents.

A Florida Highway Patrol officer makes an arrest as Fox News' Dana McNicholl rides along. (St. Augustine Police Department)

During a recent ride-along with Fox News, troopers initiated a traffic stop for a violation that quickly escalated. A man fled the scene after his legal status was questioned. 

The suspect was later found hiding in a neighborhood shed. According to U.S. Border Patrol, he had prior convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and assaulting an officer.

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This new enforcement authority is a dramatic shift from past limitations.

Florida Highway Patrol officers have been empowered to enforce federal immigration law in partnership with federal agents. (St. Augustine Police Department)

"Everyday Florida Highway Patrol troopers would interact with people that were most likely here unlawfully," said Florida Office of Highway Safety Executive Director Dave Kerner. "But there was nothing that we could do as state law enforcement officers."

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Now, that has changed. FHP is the only state agency in the nation currently trained and operating under the 287(g) agreement. In one early-morning stop, troopers pulled over a van and trailer for speeding. Upon investigation, all 11 passengers were determined to be undocumented and were detained on the spot.

Florida is the first state to train and deploy troopers under the federal 287(g) agreement, which authorizes designated state officers to enforce immigration law in partnership with federal agents. (St. Augustine Police Department)

By sunrise, officers had taken 30 individuals into custody, all on a single stretch of highway in Hillsborough County.

In response to immigration advocates calling out the agreement as racial profiling, Kerner says FHP has a lawful basis to make traffic stops.

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"There’s going to be people that disagree with what we're doing, but we're executing on a mission that is before us. We have a lawful duty and powers to investigate people's status in the United States as a result of that delegation of authority. We do it professionally. We do it, transparent. We have cameras in our vehicles," said Kerner.

DeSantis says the initiative is already delivering results and believes it could serve as a blueprint for other states seeking to take immigration enforcement into their own hands.