Fact Check: DeSantis Says Florida Leads Immigration Enforcement, 20,000 Arrests

Media Bias Fact Check (MBFC) publishes daily vetted fact checks using IFCN-approved sources. Claims are evaluated for accuracy, context, and evidence.


Claimant: Ron DeSantis


Claim: Florida is the only state requiring state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and is responsible for nearly 20,000 apprehensions, making Floridians safer.


Rating: MOSTLY TRUE


Explanation: PolitiFact found that Florida does have one of the nation’s most expansive mandatory cooperation frameworks between state and local authorities and federal immigration enforcement. Reporting supports the figure of roughly 20,000 apprehensions connected to these efforts. However, the claim that these actions have made Florida “safer” is more subjective and lacks direct supporting crime data establishing a causal relationship.


Source: PolitiFact


Date: 01/20/2026


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Last Updated on January 20, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check

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