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

The Trump administration carried out a record number of immigration arrests and removals in July, according to government data released this week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained 49,571 people during the month, a 15 percent increase from June and the highest monthly total since the start of the president's second term. Removals also climbed to nearly 34,000, exceeding any previous month in the current administration.

The figures come from data shared with the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA. They show enforcement activity that has grown steadily since early 2025, when monthly arrests stood near 8,000 before Trump took office. Numbers rose through the year as the administration eased restrictions on agents' targets and locations. A dip occurred after two fatal shootings in Minnesota prompted protests and political pushback, but activity accelerated again in June and reached the new peak in July.

Arrest patterns have changed in character. Rather than the large-scale, highly visible operations seen in prior periods, recent detentions rely more on smaller teams conducting traffic stops or other routine encounters. This approach has allowed enforcement to continue at scale while drawing less immediate public attention. Nearly 20,000 of the July arrests occurred in Texas and Florida, states that maintain formal agreements with ICE allowing local officers to perform certain federal immigration functions.

A notable feature of the July data is the composition of those arrested. For the first time in the second Trump term, a majority of people taken into custody, 51 percent, had no prior criminal convictions or pending charges. This marks a departure from earlier statements emphasizing a focus on individuals with serious records. The share of non-criminal arrests has risen steadily since the administration broadened its operational scope.

The increase in removals reflects both higher arrest volumes and continued use of expedited processes for people already in custody. Officials have not detailed how the expanded caseload affects detention capacity or court backlogs, though advocates tracking the numbers report longer waits in some facilities. The data project continues to compile monthly statistics that allow comparisons across administrations and policy shifts.

These trends point to an enforcement system that has adapted its methods while maintaining elevated activity levels. The reliance on state partnerships and lower-profile tactics has sustained output even as high-visibility raids have become less common. Further releases from the Deportation Data Project are expected to show whether August numbers follow the same trajectory.