President Trump’s mass deportation efforts continue to pay dividends and, if carried to their conclusion, will see millions of people in the country illegally sent packing by the time he leaves office in January 2029.
And for the record, that policy continues to be popular.
To that end, Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded its busiest month since Trump returned to office, with more than 43,000 illegal immigrants booked into federal detention facilities during June as the administration continues expanding its nationwide enforcement efforts.
The latest figures reflect a dramatic increase in interior immigration enforcement and come as the White House says arrests are continuing to climb even higher in July.
According to new data released by the Department of Homeland Security, 43,138 illegal immigrants were booked into ICE detention facilities during June.
The agency currently has 65,765 people in federal immigration custody, with nearly two-thirds of those detainees taken into custody during June alone.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan said ICE carried out the highest number of arrests in the agency’s history last month.
Federal data shows ICE averaged 1,438 arrests per day throughout June.
The pace has accelerated even further in July.
According to DHS, ICE officers averaged 1,593 arrests per day during the first 11 days of the month.
The White House also confirmed that ICE made approximately 10,000 arrests during one five-day period in June.
“We’re turning up the heat on the streets,” Homan told reporters in Washington.
“We’re out there working harder than we ever have because we’ve empowered our law enforcement to do their job.”
According to a NewsNation report citing a source familiar with the matter, White House senior adviser Stephen Miller directed ICE officers to begin working seven days a week after administration officials became frustrated that arrests had previously slowed.
The administration has significantly increased resources available to immigration enforcement agencies.
A White House official credited the recently signed Secure America Act with helping fuel the expanded operations.
The legislation provides approximately $70 billion in funding for Department of Homeland Security agencies through 2029.
Administration officials say the funding will allow DHS to hire additional immigration officers, expand detention capacity, improve immigration court operations and strengthen overall enforcement efforts.
The latest data also shows that nearly 89% of those currently in ICE custody were arrested directly by ICE officers rather than being transferred from U.S. Customs and Border Protection after crossing the border.
That shift suggests the agency continues focusing heavily on interior enforcement operations across the country.
Homan said ICE will soon increase enforcement efforts in New York City as well.
His comments came after authorities arrested a suspect accused of attacking a federal building in Lower Manhattan that houses ICE offices, the FBI and a federal immigration court.
Authorities identified the suspect as 43-year-old Army veteran Andrew Arrabaca.
Federal officials also acknowledged two fatal officer-involved shootings during recent enforcement operations.
In Houston, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot, while Johan Sebastian Guerrero was killed during an operation in Maine.
DHS officials said neither man was the original target of the enforcement actions.
The administration also highlighted the criminal backgrounds of many individuals currently in ICE custody.
According to DHS, 19,329 detainees have been convicted of crimes, while another 20,247 face pending criminal charges.
Those figures have increased since April, when the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse reported 17,589 convicted criminals and 18,731 individuals facing pending criminal charges in ICE custody.
The organization also reported that nearly 24,000 additional detainees were being held for immigration-related violations.
Homan said ICE arrests are now running approximately 40% higher than they were during the same period last year, attributing the increase to expanded staffing and funding.
He acknowledged that arrests temporarily declined by roughly 12% to 16% during the recent government shutdown but said enforcement operations quickly rebounded afterward, NewsNation reported.
“Our numbers are higher than they’ve ever been,” Homan said.
“I’m sick and tired of people saying we’re not doing enough because that’s an insult to every ICE agent that is strapping up every day and working six and seven days a week to get this done.”
