ICE Arrests Reach 49,571 in July, Highest of Trump Term

US immigration enforcement produced its highest monthly arrest total since President Donald Trump began his second term. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded 49,571 arrests in July, a 15 percent increase from June and roughly 70 percent above February levels, according to data ICE supplied to the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley and UCLA and analyzed by the Associated Press. Monthly arrests stood slightly above 8,000 before Trump took office in January 2025.

The rise followed policy changes that expanded the locations and individuals agents could target, along with the addition of roughly 12,000 officers and agents. Nearly 20,000 of the July arrests occurred in Texas and Florida, states operating under 287(g) agreements that allow local police to perform immigration functions. Arrests had dipped in February after two fatal shootings in Minnesota prompted protests and scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers.

Deportations also reached a new high for the term, with nearly 34,000 removals in July. The administration has set a target of 2,000 arrests per day, supported by a $70 billion funding increase for the Department of Homeland Security. One analysis of the July figures found that 51 percent of those arrested had no criminal convictions or charges.

Enforcement has shifted toward routine encounters such as traffic stops, required ICE check-ins, and airport screenings rather than large-scale operations. Attorneys representing immigrants report that some clients with temporary protected status are being directed to appear at ICE offices and fitted with ankle monitors, particularly in areas with large Haitian communities such as Springfield, Ohio. Temporary protected status for 50,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians has already been ended following a Supreme Court ruling, and protections for 170,000 Salvadorans are scheduled to expire in September.