The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained nearly 50,000 individuals in July, marking the highest monthly figure during Donald Trump’s second term in office.
This number indicates that the administration continues to implement its mass deportation program, despite a shift in approach earlier this year — from high-profile operations in major cities that sparked public outrage to more discreet detentions.
The exact number of detentions in July was 49,571, a 15% increase compared to 43,021 detentions the previous month and a 70% increase from 29,241 detentions in February following operations in Minnesota. The Associated Press analyzed government data provided by ICE to the California University of Berkeley Deportation Data Project.
Prior to Trump’s inauguration, the number of immigration detentions was over 8,000 per month and largely involved immigrants transferred to ICE from municipal or state prisons for further deportation. During Trump’s first year in office, these numbers began to rise as the administration relaxed rules on whom and where ICE could detain, and also directed billions of dollars to strengthen the agency. In December, the number of detentions exceeded 40,177, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
Change in tactics and reaction
Following protests and reports of deaths in Minnesota in January, the number of detentions began to decline, reaching nearly 30,000 in February. After several months of stagnation, the figure rose to over 43,000 in June and to approximately 49,500 in July.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf promised earlier this year during his confirmation hearings that ICE would not make headlines, which could indicate a more moderate approach to operations. However, his tenure has been overshadowed by several fatal incidents involving immigrants during encounters with ICE agents. Meanwhile, statistics show that Wolf has not abandoned President Donald Trump’s vision of mass deportations.
Key states and ICE expansion
Nearly 20,000 of the July detentions occurred in Texas and Florida, highlighting the importance of these states to the Trump administration’s mass deportation program. Both states actively utilize cooperation agreements with ICE, known as 287(g) agreements, which allow state and local law enforcement to effectively act as federal immigration agents.
The increase in detentions comes as Congress allocated billions of dollars to ICE last summer, and the agency also hired 12,000 new employees, including deportation officers and investigators.
Source: Clarín
