Data shows Lee County Sheriff's Office has highest illegal immigrant encounters in state

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Using data from the State Board of Immigration Enforcement, Floridians can get a better picture of what immigration enforcement looks like here in the state.

Under Florida law, local law enforcement agencies are required to support immigration enforcement efforts.

Back in March of 2025, SBIE Exec. Dir. Larry Keefe announced the creation of the Law Enforcement Accountability Dashboard (LEAD) in order to ensure local agencies are adhering to state law.

The data compiled begins Aug. 2025 and is consistently updated with a wide range of statistics including the number of encounters with illegal immigrants, the number of arrests both by agencies as well as ICE, and even tracks the demographics of those arrested.

Nearly 32,000 encounters with undocumented immigrants have been reported by law enforcement throughout Florida, with roughly 25,700 arrests over the past year.

As of the date of this article, Aug. 28, 2026, the Lee County Sheriff's Office has logged more encounters with undocumented immigrants than any other local law enforcement agency in Florida.

According to the LEAD data, LCSO has recorded having more than 3,500 encounters with illegal immigrants, which is double the number reported by the Martin County Sheriff's Office, which has the second-highest count in the state among local agencies.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office has logged just over 1,000 encounters, ranking fifth in the state for local agency encounters.

The dashboard consolidates all undocumented immigration data across Florida into one location. It also includes a platform where anyone can report perceived violations of Florida's immigration enforcement laws.