Just five months into President Trump’s return to office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is operating at a historic pace, removing criminal aliens and undocumented individuals at levels not seen in over a decade.
According to ICE data reported by the Washington Times, the agency is arresting nearly 1,200 illegal immigrants per day, with deportations closely trailing at 1,118 removals per day. Over 56,000 individuals are now in ICE custody, surpassing all previous detention records, including those during the 2019 border crisis. The surge in enforcement comes as the administration pushes to fulfill its pledge to restore law and order at the border and throughout the nation’s interior.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is said to have directed ICE in May to expand its arrest operations and reverse the Obama-Biden-era limits that prioritized only violent criminals. Under the new directive, ICE agents are again empowered to target all illegal aliens, not just those with prior convictions. As a result, the share of detainees without criminal records has increased, yet over 70% of ICE detainees still have pending charges or convictions, including for serious offenses.
Family detention has also returned. ICE reports holding over 600 family unit members as of mid-June, a policy shift designed to ensure that entire families are deported promptly and do not abscond after release.
While critics accuse the administration of being too aggressive, supporters say the opposite is true: Trump is finally delivering on the promises past presidents failed to act on. Public safety, immigration law, and national sovereignty are once again being taken seriously.
Trump has made it clear: the focus is on the major urban sanctuaries—Los Angeles, New York, Chicago—where millions of illegal immigrants reside, while minimizing operations in heartland communities. Enforcement is up, morale at ICE is high, and the message is clear: the days of open borders and catch-and-release are over.
The numbers speak for themselves. With arrests and removals rivaling or surpassing Obama-era highs, the Trump administration is proving that when it comes to immigration enforcement, promises made are promises kept.
