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Immigrant arrests surge nationwide as ICE shifts to quieter, broader tactics

Sep 11, 2026

Immigrant arrests surge nationwide as ICE shifts to quieter, broader tactics
Photo via NBC News

ICE arrests reached record levels over the summer, with nearly 51,000 arrests in August, up from 50,208 in July and nearly 44,000 in June, according to DHS data. Enforcement tactics shifted from militarized operations in Democratic cities toward street arrests, courthouse and airport arrests, ICE check-ins, and increased cooperation with local jails and law enforcement, with Texas and Florida seeing the largest number of arrests. A Marshall Project analysis found immigration arrests more than doubled in 15 states and Washington, D.C., even without high-profile operations, as agencies including the Ohio sheriff's departments and Missouri police joined the effort. The Deportation Data Project found that an increasing majority of those arrested lacked criminal convictions, with 73.5% having no criminal convictions in July compared to 62.6% the previous year, and the administration has since replaced its enforcement leadership, naming Markwayne Mullin to head DHS after Kristi Noem and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino were removed.

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