ICE averages 2,000 arrests a day in US amid latest immigration crackdown

ICE arrests 10,000 people in five-day crackdown as Trump ramps up deportation drive

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested around 10,000 people over a five-day period at the end of June, reported AP as the Trump administration escalated its mass deportation campaign.

 

The figures, obtained by The Associated Press from a person familiar with the matter, translate to an average of 2,000 arrests a day between Friday and Tuesday. While the locations of the arrests were not disclosed, the numbers suggest the administration has significantly stepped up immigration enforcement even as it shifts away from high-profile raids in major cities.

 

The latest data indicate that the White House is pursuing a quieter but more aggressive approach to meeting President Donald Trump's deportation targets. Instead of conducting widely publicised enforcement operations in specific cities, ICE appears to be carrying out broader, less visible arrests across the country.

   

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said its officers were delivering on Trump's pledge to remove people who are in the US illegally.

 

"Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump's promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists," the department said. "Our message is clear: if you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you."

 

The surge in arrests comes as the number of people held in ICE detention facilities increased to about 39,000 in June, up from roughly 30,000 a month between February and May, according to information obtained by AP.

 

Although ICE does not routinely publish arrest statistics, the latest figures mark a substantial increase over earlier periods. Data compiled by the University of California, Berkeley's Deportation Data Project showed that December, previously the busiest month under the current administration, averaged 1,283 arrests per day, while January recorded 1,212 daily arrests during a major immigration enforcement operation centred on Minneapolis.

 

Following that operation, the administration reduced the use of large-scale, highly visible raids after protests and public scrutiny. According to AP, immigration enforcement later shifted towards a lower-profile strategy while maintaining the administration's broader deportation agenda.

 

The arrest figures suggest that despite the tactical shift, immigration enforcement has intensified, with the latest pace of 2,000 arrests a day significantly exceeding previously reported averages.

 

In February, immigration arrests fell to 1,057 a day, according to information from the Deportation Data Project. The Project sued through the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the ICE arrests data and it is only current through February.

 

After Noem was fired, her successor at Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, suggested he'd be taking a more low-profile approach to immigration enforcement and he aimed to get the department out of the headlines. But Mullin was expected to adopt Trump's priorities on immigration.  With inputs from AP