U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) published a series of tweets on February 17, 2026, detailing recent criminal cases involving foreign nationals in Florida and highlighting ongoing enforcement actions.
In one post, ICE described an attempted murder incident involving a Venezuelan national. The agency stated: "A criminal alien from Venezuela tried to MURDER an American woman on a beach in Port St. Lucie, FL. He violently jumped her as she was walking alone and attempted to DROWN her — later confessing that he had no remorse in doing so." This tweet was posted at 16:07 UTC.
Later the same day, ICE addressed another case involving organized crime. At 17:01 UTC, the agency wrote: "CHINESE TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORG’S COVER BLOWN IN FLORIDA MARRIAGE FRAUD SCHEME TARGETING U.S. SOLDIERS
An ICE HSI Jacksonville- and NCIS Southeast-led task force uncovered evidence that the 11 defendants allegedly recruited U.S. service members to participate in fraudulent". A follow-up tweet with a link was posted at 17:02 UTC: "https://t.co/Guwbfqb81s".
ICE is responsible for investigating cross-border crime and enforcing immigration laws within the United States. The agency's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division often works with other federal agencies such as the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to address crimes including marriage fraud schemes targeting military personnel.
Marriage fraud schemes can involve transnational criminal organizations recruiting individuals—sometimes members of the U.S. military—to enter into sham marriages for immigration benefits or financial gain. Such cases have been prosecuted under federal law, reflecting ongoing efforts by ICE and partner agencies to combat immigration-related crimes.
