FLORIDA — A Florida sheriff's bold claims about immigrant arrests reveal a more complex picture when court records are examined in detail.
Popular Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd recently announced that 74% of the illegal immigrants his deputies detained last year had criminal charges against them. But our review of records shows more than 80% of those charges were for non-violent offenses, including traffic-related violations.
Watch report from Katie LaGrone
By the numbers
Specifically, of the 564 immigrants arrested in 2025 with criminal charges:
- 16% faced charges for what the FBI defines as violent crime, including assault, domestic battery and one case of attempted second-degree murder.
- More than 80% faced charges for non-violent crimes, including drugs, DUI without injuries and prostitution.
- About half of the immigrants charged with non-violent crimes were traffic-related
Court records show some immigrants were initially stopped for minor violations like tinted windows, unsafe U-turns or riding a bike against traffic flow. In some cases, these minor stops led to criminal charges that were later dropped.
Charged but not convicted
Fernando Dolores-Ortiz, 23, was arrested last summer after being the victim of a car crash while driving without a license. Another driver involved in the crash defended Ortiz, saying he "didn't do nothing" and calling the arrest "wrong."
According to the crash report, deputies contacted ICE before arresting Ortiz. ICE confirmed he was in the country illegally. Court records show Ortiz had four previous charges for driving without a license in Poik County. While he pled guilty to each, he was never formally convicted.
His attorney said Ortiz, whose immigration case is still pending, was eligible for a driver's license, but government errors and denials prevented him from obtaining one.
When he tried to obtain a driver's license several times, he received responses such as "we don't give immigrants a driver's license," explained immigration attorney Magdalena Cuprys.
Months after his arrest, Ortiz finally obtained a valid driver's license. Today, his criminal record is clear of any criminal convictions.
“I’m here to work and be a good person”
"I'm not here to do anything bad,” Ortiz told Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone. “I'm only here to work, and if I had broken the law for driving without a license, it was only out of necessity, because I had to go to work, and I'm here to work and be a good person and contribute to society," Ortiz said.
When asked if he feels at risk every time he leaves home, Ortiz said he's conscious he could be arrested but remains hopeful because he has a pending immigration case.
His attorney said Polk County "wants to obviously, somehow show that they're a tough enforcer, and they are."
It remains unclear how many immigrants arrested in Polk County were, ultimately, convicted. Many of the cases remain pending.
Sheriff Judd: “Report the truth or admit you’re creating fake news!”
Since President Trump's second-term immigration crackdown began, Florida has arrested more than 20,000 immigrants, second only to Texas. Polk County has among the highest arrest totals by any local agency in the state, with more than 550 arrests.
Sheriff Judd, who serves on Florida's Immigration Enforcement Council, defended his agency’s enforcement approach when questioned about whether his statements are fair to immigrants who get charged but not convicted.
"Every one of those people violated the law, violated a criminal law in the state of Florida, and they were arrested, 74% of them. So, if you're going to report either report the truth or admit that you're creating fake news," Judd said.
However, the records show most immigrants were arrested for non-violent crimes, and they don’t all end up being criminals.
This story was reported on-air by Katie LaGrone and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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