ICE arrests over 10,000 in five days

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more than 10,000 people over five days at the end of June, roughly doubling its daily arrest pace under a new target, according to reports.

Agency leaders directed top ICE officials to increase arrests after White House officials pushed for higher numbers, according to The New York Times, citing documents and sources knowledgeable with the matter. Officers were reportedly told to work seven days a week, with 80% assigned to arrest operations. The new daily standard is 2,000 arrests, up from about 1,000 earlier this year.

More than 63,000 people were in ICE custody as of June 30, up nearly 4,000 from prior weeks. Meanwhile, officers detained more than 2,400 people on June 27, the largest daily total. “Our message is clear: if you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you and we will deport you,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement.

The enforcement surge comes amid an already documented pattern of harm to immigrants in ICE custody. A new Rebel Yellow analysis reveals that 12 Asian nationals have died in detention since the beginning of the second Trump administration. Two of those deaths — Vietnamese immigrant Tuan Van Bui, 55, and Cambodian lawful permanent resident Lorth Sim, 59 — occurred roughly six weeks apart at Indiana’s Miami Correctional Facility.

As we previously reported, limited English proficiency can make it harder for Asian detainees to report medical emergencies or understand their legal situations. At least nine men in ICE custody have also died by suicide since the start of 2025, compared with two suicides recorded across the entire Biden administration.

Immigration attorneys nationwide say arrests have increased during check-ins, traffic stops and court appearances, a notable change from last year’s high-profile sweeps in Chicago and Los Angeles. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin switched to the lower-profile approach after the monthlong operation in Minnesota ended with federal officers killing U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

DHS has claimed people already charged with or convicted of a crime account for nearly 70% of ICE arrests, though criminal histories in the latest surge have not been made public.