By Aliyah Salcé 
Photo Credit: Colorado Public Radio
One of the key focuses of President Trump’s campaign was addressing what he referred to as the “greatest invasion in [the] history” of the United States. Following his inauguration on January 20th, 2025, President Trump signed a handful of executive orders including several to address the immigration concerns in the nation as he had previously promised. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began to stretch their operations across major U.S. cities almost immediately. According to NBC News, these are not “large-scale raids” in targeted locations but rather highly-publicized “routine operations” occurring with greater frequency. In the final days of the Biden Administration, ICE conducted around 282 arrests per day in September 2024. So how are things now that President Trump is back in office?
Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, made a statement to Fox News on January 22nd, just two days after President Trump took office, where he clarified ICE had already conducted 308 arrests across the country by following the new executive orders. NBC News also reported that the arrests were targeted for criminals but they were unable to provide information on whether or not immigrants without criminal records were arrested as “collateral.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also removed a policy that ensured ICE agents were not allowed to arrest undocumented immigrants at “sensitive” locations. This means that ICE gained the power to conduct arrests in schools, hospitals, and places of worship. In their statement, DHS argued that “criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
In the weeks following Trump’s executive orders, arrest numbers continued to go up along with the number of ICE sweeps across the country. An ICE sweep is when federal agents conduct an operation to arrest individuals suspected of being undocumented. These raids usually target workplaces, homes, or specific locations where ICE believes there may be undocumented immigrants. Like they did throughout the Biden Administration, ICE has continued publicizing total arrest counts daily. In the span of three days from January 26th to January 28th, the arrests totaled up to 3,104, and 4,500 since the 23rd of January. Law enforcement officers all over the nation continue to emphasize the fact that these arrests are focused on targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions. In fact, many local law enforcement agencies have put out statements in support of the actions taken by the administration. For instance, the Austin Police Department (APD) Chief issued a statement justifying the raids by arguing, “At the end of the day, these are people that APD would be looking for as well. They were wanted for violent offenses.”
In the middle of this change in policy direction, a question many people have asked is how many of the arrested immigrants actually have criminal records. When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about this, she answered, “All of them, because they illegally broke our nation’s laws and therefore they are criminals as far as this administration goes.” Many critics argued that this is a admission by the administration that some significant number of the deported individuals were not violent criminals, but only living in the country without documentation. Just last week in Virginia, seven individuals were arrested by ICE. Only one of them had a criminal record and it was a DUI offense. Instances like these have sparked fear amongst local communities across the country as they go against ICE’s alleged initiative called “the worst go first” where ICE agents are supposed to prioritize arresting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Rohmah Javed from the Legal Aid Justice Center expressed that she thinks “one thing that has been clear is that all immigrants are now an enforcement priority or removal priority.”
Last month, the Trump Administration’s average arrests were 787 per day, higher than the average 467. This month they set a goal for 1200-1400 a day, almost double that number. As the administration and ICE continue to raise numbers and conduct arrests, advocacy groups have been working to help bring families together and aid undocumented immigrant communities. Javed from the Legal Aid Justice Center noted that they were able to help release two people on bond this past week. She expressed her excitement but said she believes this is only the beginning of her efforts. The Trump Administration has kept its promise of prioritizing immigration concerns. Mass deportations and the methods by which ICE conducts them will continue to evolve as the Trump Administration navigates legal challenges to these new executive orders and finds alternative ways to facilitate its immigration policies.