In an incredible demonstration of law enforcement’s commitment to the vulnerable, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) partnered with the Polk County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office for a nine-day undercover human trafficking sting that led to the arrests of 255 individuals for illegal acts that included child exploitation.
For context, in a press release published on May 20, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that through a partnership with Polk County, Florida’s police, they were able to arrest 255 individuals, leading to 30 detainers being placed. In addition, an ICE spokesperson noted that the individuals who were detained will be taken into ICE custody once they stand trial and their cases are resolved.
In the press release, ICE ERO Assistant Field Office Director David Gritte said that his agency “is in a unique position to enforce immigration law in the interior of the U.S. with its broad investigatory authorities and law enforcement capabilities.” He added, “Our congressionally mandated mission is to preserve public safety and national security by keeping dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities.”
Continuing, Gritte noted that ICE’s priority is “public safety over politics,” adding, “Brave officers are on the streets every day, risking their lives to locate, arrest, and remove the most egregious criminal aliens in line with the president’s policy of ‘worst first.’” Moreover, Britt said that his team is committed to identifying and combating “predators engaged in human trafficking and child exploitation.”
Furthermore, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd also weighed in on the case, saying, “It is extremely disturbing when we encounter nasty child predators like these, adding, “This is why we conduct these types of undercover operations. Keeping children safe is our number one priority, and we appreciate our partnering agencies, without whom we would not be as successful in apprehending these dangerous offenders.”
Importantly, a similar investigation took place in the Tampa Bay area as a partnership between local enforcement and the U.S. Marshals and was announced by the office of Florida Attorney General on June 23, 2025. Deemed “Operation Dragon Eye,” the crackdown on child exploitation led to eight arrests, including one individual charged with human trafficking.
During a press conference, Attorney General Uthmeier emphasized that it takes a coordinated effort with federal law enforcement to rescue trafficked children and bring predators to justice, saying, “It took a lot of people to get this done.” He added, “What makes Florida the ‘rule of law state’ is we’re great at working together in collaboration across agency lines.”
Moreover, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass spoke out about the emotional toll that such investigations can take, saying, “The things that they have to see: they have to see the whole case.” He added, “They have to see everything that happens to these children, and we need to pray for them because they had to take that burden home.”
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