ICE Sets Second-Term Arrest Record After Expanding Beyond People With Criminal Records

WASHINGTON—Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 49,571 people in July, setting a monthly record for President Trump’s second term after a majority of the people selected had neither a criminal conviction nor a pending criminal charge.

The total rose 15 percent from June and 70 percent from February. The month before Trump returned to office, immigration arrests stood a little above 8,000 and largely involved transfers from local jails and prisons. July averaged about 1,599 arrests per day, allowing the enforcement campaign to demonstrate the productivity available when criminal history is no longer required for most of the work.

The figures come from ICE records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA. They show a quieter operational shift from publicized raids in selected cities toward arrests at immigration appointments, traffic stops, workplaces, and ordinary community locations across the country.

The administration says anyone who violates immigration law may face enforcement and maintains that public-safety threats remain a priority. Civil immigration violations are not criminal offenses. Congress has supplied billions of dollars for more detention space, deportations, and thousands of additional officers, giving the agency enough capacity to pursue priorities and everyone standing behind them.

The July record does not mean ICE found a record number of criminals. It means the agency found a larger record by looking beyond that category.