ICE arrests have surged in July, reaching a high under Trump

[u/John3262005]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/07/17/ice-arrests-have-surged-july-reaching-high-under-trump/

Through the first 12 days of July, ICE is on pace to arrest the most people in a single month during the second Trump administration, according to agency detainment data shared to Congress and reviewed by The Post.

Arrests have surged in the last few weeks, with the daily average rising to more than 1,400 people amid a renewed push from the White House to increase arrests across the country. President Donald Trump is seeking to deport 1 million undocumented immigrants per year, portraying them as criminals and a drain on U.S. communities.

The number of people arrested by ICE and sent into detention facilities in June totaled more than 39,500. That surpasses the previous high from last December. At the current pace, July’s total would exceed June’s.

The recent spike of arrests comes amid the federal agency shooting and killing two people in Houston and Maine in the span of six days. A third person died on Tuesday when he was hit by a truck while fleeing agents in Florida.

ICE arrests dropped in February after the agency in January fatally shot two people in Minneapolis, but have consistently climbed every month since then. ICE earlier this month topped 2,000 arrests per day several times, a DHS official said, after setting that figure as a daily arrest target. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal information not authorized for release.

ICE arrests have increased by more than 40 percent between this year and the same period last year.