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Ron DeSantis: “We've ended up stopping and returning 18,000 illegal aliens.”

Featuring: Ron DeSantis, Republican | Governor of Florida

Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport

Published July 25, 2025 | Video Starts at 01:13

And just from the state's effort, in addition to everything the Coast Guard's done, just the state of Florida, We've ended up stopping and returning 18,000 illegal aliens. And we just had a bus the other day. So that's been really important to keep the state of Florida safe. We've also done things like ban sanctuary cities. (01:13–01:19)

CLAIM

Asserts that Florida has stopped and returned 18,000 illegal aliens.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Ron DeSantis

“There's probably close to 800,000 illegal aliens that have already been ordered deported in this country.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 28:05-28:12
“We were the first state to eliminate DE and I.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 31:59-32:02
“We've been leading the way on economy three years in a row, ranked number one.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 32:02-32:07
“We have, you know, 50, 70, 80,000 illegals that are on final orders of removal already in Florida at a minimum.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 34:44-34:53
“2024 election was a huge mandate from the American people to finally deal and put to bed the issue of illegal immigration once and for all.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 00:08-00:21
“We were the first state to send people to help Texas when Biden opened the border back in 2021.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 00:45-00:51
“We've also done things like ban sanctuary cities.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 01:25-01:29
“We've ensured that there are no ID cards, of course, no driver's license, but any ID cards to illegals.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 01:28-01:35
“We've increased penalties on illegals who operate motor vehicles.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 01:34-01:40
“We ended up getting good legislation passed that requires all state and local agencies in Florida to participate in immigration enforcement…”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 03:03-03:13
“The site here at the Dade Collier Airport is in the heart of South Florida was a unique opportunity because while it was an existing…”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 03:52-04:10
“We have capacity now for a couple thousand [illegal aliens].”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 04:30-04:34
“I'm pleased to report that those flights out of Alligator Alcatraz by DHS have begun.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 05:27-05:37
“We've already had a number of flights in the last few days. We've had hundreds of illegals have been removed from here.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 05:38-05:49
“This airport is able to accept commercial sized aircraft and conduct both day and nighttime operations.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 06:32-06:43
“We're working very closely with the Department of Justice. We have not yet had any approval for anybody to be able to come down here and do…”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 07:23-07:33
“It's cheaper to do it [voluntary deportation] that way.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 08:13-08:15
“We've had some people take up on the offer [of voluntary deportation].”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 08:20-08:23
“The flights are going. I think the cadence is going to increase.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 24:01-24:05
“We can expand the footprint here to 3,000, and then we can do Camp Blanding.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 24:11-24:18
“President Trump was very clear. He wants to see a force multiplier with respect to the immigration adjudication process, and he wants to…”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 25:03-25:13
“Florida's playing the leading role amongst the 50 states, and I don't think there's anyone that's even close to doing what we've done.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 25:47-25:55
“Florida, we have at least 50,000, 75,000 [illegal aliens ordered deported].”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 28:11-28:15
“It's also more efficient [to do voluntary deportation].”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 28:27-28:36
“This is in fact a force multiplier to be able to assist with the removal of illegal aliens from the country.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 28:27-28:36
“DHS is sending people who they actually absolutely believe are here illegally and are subject to deportation.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 29:58-30:07
“Everybody here is already on a final removal order.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 30:12-30:15
“We led the country, dragged this country out of COVID lockdown.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 31:31-31:35
“We led the effort to fight against Biden's immigration and border policies.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 31:42-31:48
“We were effectively the ones that nuked ESG.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 31:55-31:59
“We've been the leading state on law and order.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 33:10-33:14
“ICE has been understaffed, you know, is not scratching the surface of what would need to be done to get to where you have the largest mass…”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 35:17-35:26
“We want this tied to helping DHS remove these folks.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 35:54-35:59
“These Democrat politicians parading down here and doing all this stuff... are trying to latch on to whatever they can, you know, to create…”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 36:30-37:14
“They are meeting or exceeding every state or federal standard or Jevver's higher.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 39:48-39:53
“There's folks in particularly corporate media... will just assert something, and that will be reported as fact with no corroboration.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 40:17-40:34
“We know in Florida, anything is susceptible to have to be evacuated.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 41:13-41:19
“There have been a hundred full deportations just out of here.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 46:16-46:21
“There have been many other hundreds who've been flown out of here.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 46:20-46:24
“We had a transport program send to California, send to New York, send to Martha's Vineyard.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 47:07-47:14
“DHS has run into some more money now.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 47:20-47:24
“I think you're going to see an expanded detention footprint in their capacity.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 47:28-47:33
“There is resources available to do that [voluntary deportation].”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 48:41-48:48
“There are less flights now doing that [training flights] than there were before.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 49:18-49:21
“I just did something no one thought, you know, could get done as quickly as we did, open the C43 reservoir.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 49:29-49:36
“The amount of water flowing south compared to when I became governor, dramatic, dramatic increase.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 50:24-50:31
“The federal share being done 2034. Now it's going to be done five years earlier because the state is being given resources.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 51:18-51:27
“We've done like two dozen self deportations that have been funded.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 53:05-53:10
“Any self deportation out of here, if we pay for the ticket, that is subject to FEMA reimbursement, we believe.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 53:10-53:17
“You're going to see this really ramp up, especially given DHS infusion of cash.”
Governor Ron DeSantis Discusses Florida's Immigration Enforcement Efforts at Dade Collier Airport | Uploaded July 25, 2025 | 53:57-54:03