If you ever wondered what happens when the federal government decides to actually step on the gas, here is your answer: ICE arrested more than 10,000 people in the final five days of June, as Trending Politics reported, effectively doubling its daily arrest rate from roughly 1,000 to approximately 2,000 per day. One Saturday during that stretch hit a peak of more than 2,400 arrests, which is apparently what happens when ICE agents skip the weekend barbecue.
According to the New York Times, the surge came after internal directives told field offices that 2,000 arrests per day was the new operational standard. Three federal officials familiar with the discussions confirmed the White House requested higher numbers, which is one way to set a performance target. Officers carried out operations at immigration check-ins, traffic stops, and public areas, focusing on individuals who already had final removal orders from immigration judges. In other words, people a judge already told to leave.
One of the more notable operations took place at a manufacturing facility in Birmingham, Alabama, where agents detained more than 30 individuals as part of an investigation into identity fraud and unlawful employment practices. State and local law enforcement helped out on that one.
The detention population swelled by nearly 4,000 people during this period, pushing the total number of individuals in ICE custody past 63,000 as of Tuesday. That is a lot of cots.
DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis kept the messaging simple: "Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you and we will deport you."
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who has not publicly commented on the latest surge specifically, had already hinted that things were about to ramp up. In a recent interview with Breitbart News, Mullin sounded like a guy reading his quarterly sales projections with a grin: "We're on a path this year, 2026, to well surpass the deportations we did in 2025. I mean, our numbers are in fact, within, I'd say probably, within the next six weeks we'll probably pass what we deported in all of '25."
He added: "What we're going to do in '26, maybe two months, I think we'll definitely do it within two months but should be probably six weeks at the current rate." Bold predictions from a man who clearly enjoys math.
Border czar Tom Homan noted last month that ICE has expanded its agent count, detention beds, and legal resources. The agency has also won multiple court battles and streamlined case processing. If the current pace holds, annual deportation totals could blow past one million for the year, with additional departures expected as family members of those removed choose to leave voluntarily.
Much of this operational capacity traces back to last year's record budget increase through the One Big Beautiful Bill funding package. Turns out when you actually fund an agency and tell it to do its job, things happen. Who knew.
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