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Florida interstate ride-along offers rare inside look at illegal immigrant captures
Fox News
Fox News Digital witnessed the collaboration between local and federal authorities firsthand by joining the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office in Florida during their operations.
St. Johns County Sheriff's officer Rob Hill handles a K-9 unit to search a car for drugs on I-95 in St Johns County, Florida, Monday February 24, 2025. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital) A St. Johns County Sheriff's officer searches a suspicious vehicle on I-95 in St Johns County, Florida, Monday February 24, 2025. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital) Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a U.S. Writer at Fox News Digital.
The SJSO task force is headed up by Sgt. Bobby Kukar and consists of approximately 20-25 local, state and federal law enforcement officers who conduct weekly operations along the Interstate 95 corridor. Sarah joined FOX in 2021, where she has assisted on coverage of breaking and major news events across the US and around the world, including the fallout following the "Defund the police" movement, the assassination attempts on President Donald Trump's life and illegal immigration.
At the start of the operation, Sheriff Robert Hardwick emphasized the necessity for officers to have probable cause prior to conducting traffic stops. SJSO Lt. Jessica Hines reiterated the sheriff's comments, explaining that probable cause builds the case against suspected illegal migrants. She has experience reporting on topics including crime, politics, business, lifestyle, world news and more. You can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.