The majority of recent immigration arrests have occurred in states with substantial immigrant populations, such as Florida and Texas, both of which had already experienced heightened enforcement levels under President Biden, according to the Times report.
Since January 20, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended over 20,000 individuals in Texas alone, despite a noticeable drop in border crossings. ICE’s Miami field office, which oversees Florida and Puerto Rico, has documented more than 11,000 arrests during the same timeframe, it noted.l
In contrast, states like New Jersey and New York, which also have large immigrant populations, have seen only slight increases in enforcement compared to the previous administration. Some of the most significant surges in arrests have been reported in Southern and Western states that closely align with Trump’s immigration policies, the Times pointed out.
The newly released data offers the most comprehensive view to date of the extent and speed of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Acquired through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, the records concentrate on arrests conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.
The data indicates that ICE acted quickly in January to start executing Trump’s directive to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants. Since the beginning of his second term, the agency has more than doubled its daily arrest rate, now averaging 666 arrests per day—up from fewer than 300 per day in 2024, according to the report.
As the immigration crackdown initiated by the Trump administration escalates, it has ignited protests across the nation, including heated confrontations earlier this month in Los Angeles involving demonstrators, local law enforcement, and federal agents.
In spite of the significant increase in arrests, the rate may still not meet the expectations established by Miller, who is the architect of a considerable portion of the administration’s immigration policy. During a meeting on May 21 with leaders from ICE field offices, Miller allegedly set a target of 3,000 arrests daily. Since that time, the number of arrests has surged notably, with ICE averaging over 1,100 arrests per day during the initial 10 days of June—the latest period for which data is available, as further noted by the Times.
To achieve these objectives, ICE has implemented more assertive strategies, which include detaining individuals during standard check-ins and at immigration court hearings. A significant number of those apprehended in court are now being subjected to expedited removal—a rapid deportation process that circumvents conventional legal proceedings and removes the opportunity to present a defense in court.
