US ICE Arrests Surpass 49,500 in July, Reaching Highest Monthly Total Under President Donald Trump

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walk to close a gate outside the Delaney Hall detention centre [File: Ryan Murphy/Reuters]

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported 49,571 arrests in July, marking the highest monthly total since President Donald Trump began his second term, according to recent government data.

Data provided by ICE to the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles, and subsequently analysed by The Associated Press news agency, indicates that the July figures represent an approximate 15 percent increase over June and a roughly 70 percent surge compared to February.

In December 2024, the month preceding President Donald Trump taking office in January 2025, monthly arrests stood at slightly more than 8,000. That baseline largely comprised immigrants transferred from city or state jails and prisons to ICE for deportation.

Following President Donald Trump's return to the White House, monthly numbers began to climb as officials relaxed restrictions regarding who and where agents could target, exceeding 40,000 arrests by December.

However, arrests declined in February following two fatal shootings in Minnesota in January, which sparked protests and heavy criticism from Democratic lawmakers. After remaining stagnant for several months, figures climbed again in June and July.

Nearly 20,000 of the July arrests occurred in Texas and Florida. Both states participate in 287(g) agreements with ICE, allowing local law enforcement agencies to function as additional enforcement arms.

This broader enforcement campaign follows a major hiring initiative in which ICE added approximately 12,000 new officers and agents last year.