DeSantis Backed 'Operation Lyft Off' Busts 18 Illegal Alien Uber/Lyft Drivers at Port Canaveral

Last month in Florida, ICE undertook a mission to catch illegals driving for rideshare services. They focused on Port Canaveral. That makes sense because many people use rideshare services to get to their ports to leave on cruises.

My own son and his fiancé are some of those people. We live about 1 hour away from Port Canaveral and I was set to go pick them up from their cruise when I got a flat tire. While I dealt with my tire, they decided to just Uber home. When they got home, they were very convinced their driver was most likely here illegally. He spoke no English and was constantly on the telephone. He also had no knowledge of Florida highways and it was clear he was brand new in the country.

I told them about an episode of 'The Cleaning Lady' I recently watched where the main characters (both in America illegally), received fake paperwork and driver's licenses through a service and then went to work for a rideshare company. It seems it's not a fictional scenario at all.

EXCLUSIVE: ICE Nails Illegal Alien Rideshare Drivers in Florida During ‘Operation Lyft Off’

Federal authorities are targeting illegal aliens who drive for rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft in the state of Florida.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) has been… pic.twitter.com/OqRNmwDHTV
— Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) February 18, 2026

Obviously, taking ride fares from drivers who are in America illegally is a problem, but the bigger issue is the dangerous criminal backgrounds of some of the people who were caught.

In total, 18 illegal aliens were apprehended — 17 males and a lone female — and their vehicles were impounded. They were all citizens of countries in the Western Hemisphere: Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. During processing, officers discovered one of the men had a disturbing criminal background and immigration history. “Reutilio Olvera-Contreras, a 46-year-old criminal illegal alien of Mexico, used false identification to hide under an alias, was also arrested during the Port Canaveral immigration operation while attempting to illegally drive passengers throughout Central Florida,” an ICE spokesperson told Border Hawk. “He has a criminal history that includes convictions for cocaine possession in January 2002, and felony driving with a suspended license in March 2016. He has habitual violations for driving without a license. He has a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge from June 29, 2016, and was granted a voluntary departure via ICE Air.”

These kinds of drivers endanger everyone on Florida's roads. They also make it much more difficult for Americans in need of additional income to make extra money for their families. ICE thanked Governor DeSantis for his cooperation in ensuring these arrests ran smoothly. See what happens when states cooperate with ICE? No ICE agents are injured and bystanders aren't harmed either.

Thanks for covering this. Why not put the mandate on Uber/Lyft and penalize them financially? That would free up resources for DHS to target more underground individuals. It’s scary how many uber drivers are illegals and renting accounts or using fake IDs. Huge risk as a…
— SLC Fatigue (@MarinasHammer) February 18, 2026

This is great. I have been concerned about this for years. So dangerous for women to get into cars when we really can’t be sure who is behind the wheel. How many have a criminal record in their country ? Why can’t we go after Uber and Lyft for violating federal laws?
— VMayo (@VerFerMay) February 18, 2026

It's important for things to change quickly to protect Americans.