ICE arrests reach nearly 50,000 in July, the highest level of Trump’s second term

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 49,571 people in July, the highest monthly figure recorded since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to government data obtained by the Deportation Data Project from the universities of California, Berkeley and UCLA and analyzed by The Associated Press. The number represents a 15% increase compared to June, when 43,021 arrests were recorded, and a 70% increase compared to February, when ICE detained 29,241 people.

The increase in arrests demonstrates that the Trump Administration is maintaining its strategy of mass deportations, albeit with a change in how the operations are carried out. The agency has reduced high-profile actions in major cities, which generated protests and extensive media coverage, and has increased arrests made in other contexts, including traffic stops and operations supported by state and local authorities.

Texas and Florida account for a significant portion of the arrests

Cooperation between ICE and state and local law enforcement has become an increasingly important component of immigration strategy. In July, these agencies participated in approximately 6,500 arrests, representing 13% of the total.. 

A year earlier, they accounted for less than 5% of ICE’s monthly arrests. Texas and Florida, two states that have widely promoted this type of cooperation, accounted for nearly 20,000 arrests in July, representing a significant proportion of the national total.

The situation has generated concern among immigrant advocacy organizations, especially because data shows that more than half of the people arrested in July had no convictions or criminal charges.. 

Less than a quarter of those arrested had been convicted of a crime. Furthermore, approximately half of the arrests were made directly in the community, not after the person had been in the custody of another authority.

Written by: Karen Rodríguez A.