ICE arrests hit 49,571 in July, highest monthly tally since Trump took office

Tactics shifted from large-city operations to lower-visibility arrests

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 49,571 people in July, the highest single monthly arrest total during the second Trump administration, according to government data the agency shared with the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Associated Press.

The July figure marks a 15% increase over June’s 43,021 arrests and a 70% jump from 29,241 in February — the latter recorded in the immediate aftermath of the Trump administration’s enforcement surge in Minnesota — the data shows. The analysis was published by AP reporter Rebecca Santana.

The sustained climb reflects the administration’s continued pursuit of mass deportations despite a shift earlier this year away from high-profile operations in large American cities — operations that drew public outcry — and toward arrests that have garnered less attention but have nonetheless been disruptive, according to the AP analysis.

The data was supplied by ICE to UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project, a research initiative that compiles immigration-enforcement statistics from government sources, and shared with the AP for the published analysis.