Federal immigration enforcement data and reporting indicate a notable increase in arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent days.
According to a report from the New York Times, ICE detained more than 10,000 individuals over the last five days of June. This figure reflects a doubling of the daily arrest rate to approximately 2,000 arrests per day, compared to roughly 1,000 per day earlier in the year.
Arrests reached a peak of more than 2,400 on one Saturday during this period, according to documents reviewed by the outlet.
The increase stems from internal directives within ICE to prioritize arrests of individuals targeted for deportation, including those who have received final removal orders from immigration judges. Officers conducted operations at various locations, including immigration check-ins, traffic stops, and public areas.
Three federal officials with knowledge of internal discussions stated that the White House had requested higher arrest numbers, and ICE leadership instructed field offices that 2,000 arrests per day represented the new operational standard.
Internal documents reviewed in connection with the reporting show that the population held in ICE detention facilities rose by nearly 4,000 individuals, reaching more than 63,000 in custody as of Tuesday.
Specific operations during this period included a raid at a manufacturing facility in Birmingham, Alabama, where agents detained more than 30 individuals as part of an investigation into identity fraud and unlawful employment practices, conducted with assistance from state and local law enforcement.
“Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you and we will deport you,” DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a statement.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has not yet publicly commented on the recent surge, though he had indicated that enforcement was set to ramp up as newly-hired agents were activated.
“We’re on a path this year, 2026, to well surpass the deportations we did in 2025. I mean, our numbers are in fact — within, I’d say probably, within the next six weeks we’ll probably pass what we deported in all of ’25,” Mullin said in a recent interview with Breitbart News. “What we’re going to do in ’26, maybe two months, I think we’ll definitely do it within two months but should be probably six weeks at the current rate.”
Secretary Mullin attributed the projected increase to sustained enforcement rates and the department’s expanded operational capacity. White House border czar Tom Homan indicated last month that ICE has increased its number of agents, detention beds, and legal resources. The agency has also prevailed in multiple court proceedings and implemented administrative and regulatory changes to expedite case processing.
If current arrest and removal rates continue, annual deportation totals could exceed one million for the year, according to analysis tied to the reporting. Additional departures may occur as family members of those removed choose to leave voluntarily.
The department’s capacity to sustain operations draws from prior investments in personnel, facilities, and procedural efficiencies, much of which came from last year’s record-breaking budget increase from the One Big Beautiful Bill funding package.
