ICE Shatters Arrest, Detention Records as Trump Pushes Largest Mass Deportation Effort in U.S. History

by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is arresting nearly 1,200 illegal immigrants per day and detaining over 56,000, setting new records as the agency intensifies efforts to fulfill President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations. Daily deportations have topped 1,100 as ICE scrambles to move migrants out of the country as fast as they are apprehended.

The dramatic surge comes after White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reportedly ordered ICE to broaden its scope, instructing the agency to be more aggressive in targeting illegal immigrants — particularly those who entered during the Biden administration. As a result, ICE is arresting far more individuals without criminal records, marking a sharp shift in enforcement priorities.

As of June 14, ICE reported that just 70% of detainees had criminal convictions or pending charges, down from 94% at the end of the Biden administration. Critics have accused the agency of “quota hunting,” while proponents argue the stepped-up enforcement is essential to tackling the millions who entered during the prior administration.

“Some of the expectations that were built were unreasonable, that all of a sudden we were going to have mass deportations. You have to ramp up to something like that, and I think the administration is showing they are ramping up,” said Rosemary Jenks, policy director at the Immigration Accountability Project. Still, she warned the pace will be hard to sustain without additional funding from Congress, especially for detention space. ICE’s current detention numbers have already surpassed the 2019 record of 55,654, with more than 56,000 now in custody–well above the 44,000 daily beds funded by Congress.

Family detentions, which had been largely ended under Biden, have been revived and are growing rapidly. On June 14, 633 family-unit members were in custody–a 130% increase since the end of May. ICE deported more than 15,600 people in the first two weeks of June, and the 16,704 arrests in that period put the agency on pace for a record.

President Trump, in a June 16 post on Truth Social, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment. “ICE must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Immigrants in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside,” he wrote.

The post came after a week of nationwide anti-ICE protests — with some turning violent in cities like Los Angeles and Portland. “Our Nation’s ICE Officers have shown incredible strength, determination, and courage as they facilitate a very important mission, the largest Mass Deportation Operation of Illegal Aliens in History,” Trump declared. “ICE Officers are herewith ordered, by notice of this TRUTH, to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.”

Supporters of the crackdown say it’s the only way to address the surge in illegal migration during the Biden years. “The only way you get them to leave is by doing random enforcement. Grandma has to be deported, your next-door neighbor has to be deported. Not just hardened criminals, not just gang-bangers,” Jenks said.

But immigrant rights advocates accuse the administration of reversing its stated priorities and creating chaos. “Make no mistake: President Trump may be the one sitting behind the Resolute Desk, but Stephen Miller is the one running the show when it comes to immigration in the Trump White House,” said Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America’s Voice. She warned that the expansion of deportations risks alienating parts of Trump’s base who want a secure border but do not support mass deportations.

As ICE accelerates arrests, the agency faces a mounting budget crunch that could stall operations unless Congress approves emergency funding. Meanwhile, the debate over the scope and morality of the mass deportation effort shows no sign of cooling.

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