New data: ICE arrests surge as agency chases Trump quota
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The Trump administration is making headway on the key first step towards mass deportations:
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests have soared since the start of President Trump's second term, according to data released this week.
Why it matters: This year's arrest pace is well short of the administration's goal of 3,000 a day as it promises to deport millions of people. But President Trump has moved the numbers way up compared to former President Biden.
- ICE's main unit for removing immigration law violators, Enforcement and Removal Operations, has been arresting roughly 1,100 people per day in recent weeks, according to government data released via a Freedom of Information Act request from the Deportation Data Project.
- ICE's daily arrest average between Jan. 20 and Oct. 15 was 821.
Between the lines: Homeland Security claims it's arrested closer to an average of 1,800 people a day, based on figures a spokesperson provided to Axios. But DHS has stopped sharing immigration enforcement data since Trump started his second term.
- "Since January 20, DHS has arrested nearly 579,000 illegal aliens," said Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, on Dec. 3. McLaughlin did not respond to a request about which subagencies at DHS are included in that total.
- Numerous other agencies have been assisting ICE's mission, including Border Patrol and the Secret Service within DHS, as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the IRS.
- Arrests can also be made by Homeland Security Investigations, another team within ICE, and local law enforcement who have partnerships with ICE.
The big picture: Fueling the larger arrest numbers is ICE's decision to also target people without criminal convictions or charges.
- Under the Biden administration, people who hadn't committed another crime weren't prioritized for arrest and deportation.
- Now, agents have a broader mandate and have been encouraged to make more "collateral arrests," apprehending undocumented people who happen to be with someone on a target list, such as people in the same household.
- While the Trump administration highlights the "worst of the worst" amongst its arrests, the majority of people arrested don't have another criminal violation. The rhetoric has led to some criticism from Trump's supporters that he's not casting a wide enough enforcement net.
The other side: "The new data confirms that the Trump administration isn't focused on legitimate public safety risks, but rather on hitting politically motivated arrest targets," said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council.
- "DHS is sweeping up families and workers with clean records and arresting people who are complying with their obligations to attend court hearings and check-ins," Reichlin-Melnick said.
Arrest tactics, from ICE and its reinforcements, have sparked litigation across the country.
- In Chicago, a judge has already ordered 600 people to be released because they were arrested without a warrant (with more releases possible).
- A judge in Washington, D.C., has also halted warrantless arrests after an enforcement surge drew litigation.
The bottom line: "This is just the beginning. President Trump and Secretary Noem have jump-started an agency that was vilified and barred from doing its job for the last four years," McLaughlin told Axios.
- "The Trump Administration is delivering on the President's promise to the American people by carrying out the largest mass deportation operation of criminal illegal aliens in American history. Despite an unprecedented number of legal challenges and unlawful rulings by lower courts, the arrests and deportations will continue," said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman.
