US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 10,000 individuals over a five-day period at the end of June, marking a significant escalation in the agency's enforcement actions under the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda. The data, obtained from a person familiar with the information who spoke anonymously because the figures have not been publicly released, reveals an average of approximately 2,000 arrests per day from Friday to Tuesday.
Shift in Enforcement Strategy
The arrest surge comes after ICE changed its tactics from high-profile sweeps in major cities to quieter operations aimed at meeting President Donald Trump's deportation targets. While the administration has moved away from targeting specific cities, the overall arrest numbers continue to rise. The spike was first reported by The New York Times, and the locations of the arrests remain unclear.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists. Our message is clear: if you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.”
Detention Numbers Climb
In addition to the arrest spike, the number of people held in ICE detention facilities rose to roughly 39,000 in June, up from about 30,000 per month since February, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. ICE does not publicly release arrest data, making direct comparisons with previous periods challenging. However, data from UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project, analyzed by the AP, indicates that 2,000 arrests per day represents a sharp increase over earlier months.
December had the highest ICE arrests since the start of the Trump administration, averaging 1,283 arrests per day nationwide. In January, when the administration deployed hundreds of officers to Minneapolis and surrounding areas, arrests averaged about 1,212 per day. The Minneapolis operation became a turning point after two US citizens were killed by immigration officers during protests against the crackdown.
Leadership Changes and Tactical Shifts
Following the Minneapolis incident, Border Czar Tom Homan began reducing the number of officers in Minnesota as the agency stepped back from the flashy surge operations common under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Operations under Noem, led by former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, were marked by frequent clashes between officers and protesters, often shared on social media.
In February, immigration arrests fell to 1,057 per day, according to the Deportation Data Project, which obtained the data through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The data is only current through February. After Noem was fired, her successor at DHS, Markwayne Mullin, indicated he would take a more low-profile approach to immigration enforcement, aiming to keep the department out of headlines. However, Mullin was expected to continue implementing Trump's immigration priorities.
