In a multi-agency, weeklong immigration-enforcement operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Southwest Florida, law enforcement officers arrested approximately 500 individuals.
The crackdown involved ICE, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida National Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Key Individuals Arrested
- Haitian National Charged with Murder: Whycliff Longin, 28, an asylum seeker, was taken into custody following a violent home invasion in Lehigh Acres, Florida. Authorities found a survivor who escaped after being strangled, along with a deceased woman inside the home suffering from blunt force trauma. Longin was charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder, sexual battery, and burglary with battery.
- Suspected Mexican Cartel Member: An individual identified by authorities as a member of a Mexican drug cartel was taken into custody during joint operations between ICE and the Florida Highway Patrol.
- Child Molestation Suspect: A Honduran national was arrested on accusations of sexually assaulting two children.
- Guatemalan National Resisting Arrest: Noe Lux Castro, 24, was arrested after an altercation with law enforcement during which he allegedly seized a Florida Highway Patrol trooper’s Taser and attempted to use it against the officer.
Scope of the Operation
Beyond these high-profile cases, the multi-agency initiative targeted individuals who were residing in the country without legal status and had additional criminal charges or convictions on their records. Charges among those detained in the 500-person sweep included:
- Domestic violence and battery
- Driving under the influence (DUI) and hit-and-run
- Possession of illegal narcotics
- Resisting arrest and obstructing law enforcement
- Unlawful re-entry after prior deportation orders
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