ICE arrests hit record highs this summer as agency's new tactics yield results

In August alone, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained a record 50,925 people nationwide, with the largest number of apprehensions occurring in Texas and Florida, according to NBC News.

Over the past three months, the Donald Trump administration has reached a record level of immigration-related apprehensions, although this increase was not accompanied by the demonstrably harsh, almost militarized approach the agency employed earlier in the year. Over the summer, the focus shifted to street arrests, as well as cooperation with local jails and law enforcement agencies. Operations took place in cities such as Houston, New York, Memphis, San Francisco, and Atlanta.

Immigration officials have focused on detentions at airports, courthouses, and during mandatory ICE reporting.

On the subject: Immigrant detentions have risen to 2000 a day, with operations being carried out quietly, without any high-profile raids.

In August alone, ICE officers arrested a record 50,925 people, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

This figure exceeded the July high of 50,208, while in June the number of detentions was almost 44,000.

This increase is the result of a recent directive to ICE field units to increase their daily arrest rate to 2000 people nationwide. In August, the average daily rate was approximately 1600. Before this requirement, agency officers were arresting approximately 1000 people per day. A source familiar with the operation noted that the current level should become a "new normal" that the agency expects to maintain.

"The Department of Homeland Security continues to set records as we protect the country and keep Americans safe," said Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of Homeland Security. "For the third month in a row, ICE has set a new record for the number of undocumented immigrants apprehended in a single month—nearly 51."

Over the winter, the Department of Homeland Security conducted major federal operations in Democratic-governed cities. These actions culminated in the January deaths of US citizens Renee Goode and Alex Pretty in Minneapolis. Following this, mass protests erupted in Minnesota, as well as in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Following a wave of criticism directed at ICE, personnel changes occurred within the agency: after Kristi Noem's resignation, the role of head of the Department of Homeland Security was transferred to the then-so-called border supervisor, Tom Homan. Gregory Bovino was removed from his position as head of the Border Patrol.

Now the tactic has changed: the agency has abandoned large-scale and public operations. According to the Deportation Data Project, in July, the monthly number of arrests in Texas alone exceeded 10,000, in Florida – 5500, in Arizona – over 2000, and in New Jersey – over 1800. In Memphis, 120 people were detained during one raid last month.

"This summer, the number of arrests has continued to rise virtually without a break," said Juan Proaño, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

According to the Deportation Data Project, a project run by the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles that tracks ICE detentions, the highest numbers are recorded in Texas and Florida.

Both states have increased cooperation with local law enforcement. In July, Texas made 10,331 ICE arrests, up from 5787 the previous year, and Florida made 5501 arrests, up from 1938 the previous year.

An increase in the number of arrests was recorded in California, New York and New Jersey – states where Democrats are in power.

The Deportation Data Project has found that not only have community arrest records been set in recent months, but also the number of ICE requests to local jails to detain people on its behalf has increased. Furthermore, the number of arrests has increased in areas where local police are empowered to perform some immigration enforcement functions.

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According to the project, an increasing proportion of detainees have no criminal record.

In July, 73,5% of those arrested by ICE had no criminal record, compared to 62,6% the year before. Of these, 24,8% had nonviolent convictions and 1,6% had violent convictions, compared to 34,5% and 2,9%, respectively, the previous year.

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