Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted 49,571 arrests in July, representing the peak monthly total of the second Trump administration and a significant increase from previous months. The figure marks a 15% rise from June’s 43,021 arrests and a 70% increase compared to February’s 29,241 arrests, according to data provided to the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley and UCLA.
The administration has shifted its enforcement strategy following public backlash against high-profile operations in major cities earlier in the year. Instead of headline-grabbing raids conducted by former Border Patrol agent Greg Bovino in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, ICE has increasingly relied on lower-profile tactics including traffic stops and expanded partnerships with state and local law enforcement. Texas and Florida accounted for approximately 20,000 of the July arrests, with both states utilizing 287g agreements that allow local police to function as federal immigration enforcement agents. These state and local partnerships accounted for 6,500 arrests in July, or about 13% of the total, compared to less than 5% a year earlier.
Despite the administration’s stated focus on criminals, data analysis shows that more than half of those arrested in July had no criminal convictions and faced no criminal charges. Less than a quarter had been convicted of crimes. Additionally, half the arrests were non-custodial, meaning individuals were apprehended in communities rather than already being in custody. ICE has also begun arresting Haitian nationals whose deportation protections were recently removed.
Homeland Security has largely ceased regular reporting of immigration enforcement statistics, making data from the Deportation Data Project one of the few sources tracking ICE operations. The surge follows months of stagnant numbers that resulted from public protests and Democratic opposition to enforcement operations in January.
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