US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 50,000 people in July 2026, the highest monthly total since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to new government data analyzed by the Associated Press.

ICE made 49,571 arrests in July, a 15% increase from 43,021 in June and a 70% rise from 29,241 in February. This surge coincides with the Trump administration's ongoing mass deportation agenda, which has shifted from high-profile operations in major cities to more discreet enforcement actions.

Recent weeks have seen ICE detaining individuals during traffic stops and increasingly relying on state and local law enforcement agencies to assist with immigration enforcement. These partnerships, incentivized financially by ICE, accounted for approximately 6,500 arrests in July—about 13% of the total—up from less than 5% a year earlier.

ICE officers have also begun arresting Haitians who have lost protections from deportation.

Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, an organization advocating for stricter immigration controls, stated that the administration “didn’t stop the enforcement” but rather “changed the tactics and are, if anything, being more effective.”

The Trump administration has maintained that its immigration enforcement efforts primarily target individuals who have committed crimes in the US as part of broader public safety initiatives.

The month before President Trump returned to office, immigration arrests were just over 8,000, mostly involving immigrants transferred from local or state detention facilities to ICE for deportation.

Sources