BOISE, ID — Governor Brad Little announced Friday that more than 50 convicted criminals living in Idaho illegally have been removed from the state under his “Operation No Return” initiative.

The program, funded through the Governor’s Office Emergency Funds, allows Idaho State Police to transfer convicted noncitizens directly to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody instead of releasing them back into Idaho communities after serving their sentences.

According to the Governor’s Office, those removed under the program include individuals convicted of serious offenses such as child sexual abuse, kidnapping, stalking, violent assaults, and drug trafficking. The state has published an online dashboard displaying the names, crimes, and countries of origin for each individual removed. The dashboard can be viewed at gov.idaho.gov/operation-no-return .

The removals are conducted under a 287(g) agreement between the State of Idaho and ICE, which authorizes trained Idaho State Police officers to perform limited immigration enforcement functions. Governor Little said the partnership ensures that offenders who entered the country illegally are transferred to ICE-approved detention facilities for deportation, rather than being released locally.

“Operation No Return is about keeping our communities safe and ensuring that dangerous offenders who entered this country illegally do not return to Idaho,” Little said in the announcement.

The Governor’s Office noted that the emergency fund used to support the program has also been allocated in the past to assist law enforcement with missions in border states, the investigation of the University of Idaho student homicides, and fentanyl interdiction efforts.

For press inquiries, the Governor’s Office directed media to contact (208) 547-7485 or email Joan.Varsek@gov.idaho.gov.