Immigration arrests have risen sharply across the country, more than doubling in 38 states since President Trump took office, according to newly released data reviewed by The New York Times.
Enforcement activity has surged even further in recent weeks, following a directive from Trump’s top immigration adviser, Stephen Miller, urging agents to intensify efforts to increase arrests.
The majority of recent immigration arrests have taken place in states with large immigrant populations, such as Florida and Texas, both of which already saw elevated enforcement levels under President Biden, the Times report said.
Since January 20, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested over 20,000 individuals in Texas alone, despite a noticeable decline in border crossings. ICE’s Miami field office, which oversees Florida and Puerto Rico, has recorded more than 11,000 arrests during the same period, it added.
In contrast, states like New Jersey and New York, which also have sizable immigrant populations, have experienced only modest increases in enforcement compared to the previous administration. Some of the most dramatic spikes in arrests have been reported in Southern and Western states that align closely with Trump’s immigration agenda, noted the Times.
The newly released data provides the most detailed view yet of the scope and pace of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, the records focus on arrests made by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.
The data shows that ICE moved swiftly in January to begin implementing Trump’s directive to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants. Since the start 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, said the report.
As the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown intensifies, it has sparked protests nationwide, including tense confrontations earlier this month in Los Angeles between demonstrators, local police, and federal agents.
Despite the dramatic uptick in arrests, the pace may still fall short of expectations set by Miller, the architect of much of the administration’s immigration agenda. During a May 21 meeting with ICE field office leaders, Miller reportedly set a goal of 3,000 arrests per day. Since then, arrest numbers have risen significantly, with ICE averaging more than 1,100 arrests per day during the first 10 days of June—the most recent period covered by available data, the Times noted further.
To meet these targets, ICE has adopted more aggressive tactics, including detaining individuals during routine check-ins and at immigration court hearings. Many of those apprehended in court are now being placed into expedited removal—a fast-track deportation process that bypasses traditional legal proceedings and eliminates the chance to present a defense in court.
At the end of 2024, only about 5 percent of those arrested were subjected to expedited removal. By June, that figure had jumped to 15 percent, following the administration’s rollback of protections for many newly arrived migrants, the Times noted.
“The pace of arrests has increased in every state compared with 2024. In 21 states and the District of Columbia, the pace has more than tripled,” said the report.
“Idaho, where the data shows ICE made 77 arrests last year, saw the biggest change. Since Jan. 20, ICE has made more than 300 arrests there, more than two per day on average,” it added. “Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and West Virginia have seen the fastest increase in ICE enforcement relative to the size of their immigrant populations. ICE has arrested more than 4,000 people in those states combined, compared with around 2,500 in the same span in 2024.”
Republicans have long argued that Democrats use mass illegal immigration for two purposes: To pad the populations of blue states in order to preserve congressional seats, and to eventually push for amnesty in order to allow them to vote. Trump’s mass deportation pledge threatens both of those objectives.