Despite a surge in immigration enforcement under President Trump's administration, newly released Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data reveals that ICE arrests are falling short of the White House's targets.
While arrests have increased compared to the Biden administration, with 20,000 detentions in the first month, ICE is still far from the 1,200 to 1,500 daily arrest quota set by Trump officials, NPR reported. Daily ICE arrests peaked at 1,000 per day before dropping off, prompting the administration to abandon its daily arrest updates.
The latest DHS data shows that fewer than 600 individuals per day were booked into detention facilities in February—a stark contrast to the administration's ambitious goals.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that in a single month under President Trump ICE arrests have increased by 627%. pic.twitter.com/iupcms1Stw
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) February 26, 2025
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem touted a 627% increase in arrests, but critics have noted a misleading comparison between data sets. Noem cited 33,000 "at large" arrests under Biden last year, without specifying what type of arrests factored into the 20,000 attributed to the Trump administration's first month. "Custodial" arrests are significantly more common and are against persons already in the custody of law enforcement. In total, ICE made over 113,000 arrests in 2024.
Immigration experts argue the administration is prioritizing optics and high volume mass raids over targeting high-risk individuals.
"It's not about public safety anymore," said Jason Houser, a former ICE chief of staff under Biden. "It's just about this volume number. And we are less safe for that."
Meanwhile, deportation figures remain unclear, as the Trump administration has yet to release detailed removal data, fueling speculation about delays in its promised mass deportation campaign.
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