Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and removals saw significant increases in June and July, reaching record highs for President Trump's second term. This surge in enforcement actions occurred under the direction of Tom Homan, who has adopted a strategy focused on routine operations rather than high-profile, confrontational raids.
Critics who initially believed Homan would oversee a reduction in immigration enforcement have been proven wrong. In June, immigration arrests hit a record for Trump's second term at 43,000, followed by an increase to 50,000 in July. Removals also saw a substantial rise in July, reaching 34,000. While there was a brief dip in enforcement following a shift in operations in Minneapolis earlier in the year, numbers began to climb again as the administration secured additional funding for ICE and implemented a new approach.
Homan has reportedly avoided the dramatic tactics previously employed by figures like Kristi Noem, who led the Department of Homeland Security's controversial operation in Minneapolis. Instead, Homan's approach emphasizes robust enforcement that is less visible to the public. Anti-ICE activists have noted a decrease in high-profile actions, stating that arrests are "generally happening routinely, and quietly." This shift has made it more difficult for activists to track and alert others to ICE operations.
The current enforcement strategy relies on routine apprehensions during traffic stops, immigration check-ins, and at airports. Recent reports have highlighted that a majority of those apprehended have not committed crimes beyond immigration offenses. While the administration's rhetoric has often focused on apprehending the "worst of the worst," including criminals and gang members, the current approach also targets individuals solely for immigration violations. Operation Rotten Apple in New York, for example, has reportedly led to the removal of nearly 2,200 individuals identified as murderers, rapists, and gang members.
Immigration law grants the government authority to arrest and detain individuals who are in the country illegally, and in some cases, mandates detention for those under final orders of removal. Immigration judges issued nearly half a million orders of removal in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. With an estimated 15 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, a substantial number of whom arrived during the current administration, the current enforcement focus aims to reduce this population through arrests and deportations. Homan's strategy suggests that a less confrontational and more discreet approach is the most politically sustainable method for implementing immigration policy.