US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made 49,571 arrests in July, the highest monthly figure since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to government data analysed by the Associated Press. The total marks a 15% increase from June's 43,021 and a 70% jump from February's 29,241, signalling an intensification of the administration's mass deportation agenda.
The surge reflects a tactical shift away from high-profile raids in major cities toward quieter, more diffuse enforcement. ICE has stepped up hiring and now frequently detains people during routine traffic stops, while leaning increasingly on state and local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration duties. Officers have also begun arresting Haitians who have lost temporary deportation protections.
Mark Krikorian, of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group advocating tighter immigration limits, said the new numbers show the administration "didn't stop the enforcement." He added: "They changed the tactics and are, if anything, being more effective."
State partnerships become central to enforcement
The role of state and local police in immigration enforcement has expanded dramatically over the past year. In July, arrests made through ICE partnerships accounted for 6,500 people, or roughly 13% of the monthly total, up from less than 5% a year earlier. These agreements, known as 287(g) partnerships, come with financial incentives for participating agencies, which have helped ICE broaden its reach.
Texas and Florida together accounted for nearly 20,000 arrests in July, underscoring the outsized role of these two states in the federal crackdown. Both have deepened their cooperation with ICE, using 287(g) agreements that allow local officers to perform immigration enforcement functions that were once the sole domain of federal agents.
The expansion of state-level enforcement has drawn criticism from immigrant advocacy groups, who argue it blurs the line between local policing and federal immigration control. In cities like Newark and Lewiston, protests have erupted over detention practices, with activists pointing to cases of people with no criminal background being swept up in the dragnet.
Despite the administration's repeated claims that its operations target criminals, the data tells a different story. More than half of those arrested in July had no criminal convictions and were not facing criminal charges. Fewer than a quarter had been convicted of a crime. Half of the arrests were non-custodial, meaning ICE agents detained people in the community rather than taking over from prisons or local jails.
The figures have reignited debate over the scale and focus of US immigration enforcement, a topic that resonates well beyond American borders. European governments, particularly those in the EU's border states, are watching closely as they grapple with their own migration policies. The US approach, with its heavy reliance on state partnerships and its emphasis on deterrence, offers a contrasting model to the more court-centred systems common in Europe.
For European observers, the July numbers also highlight the volatility of US policy under a second Trump term. The administration's willingness to expand enforcement through state-level agreements mirrors debates in countries like Germany and Italy, where federal and regional authorities often clash over migration control. As the US continues to push its deportation agenda, European policymakers will be assessing whether any of these tactics could be adapted—or avoided—in their own contexts.
The coming months will show whether July's record pace can be sustained. With hiring still ramping up and more states potentially signing 287(g) agreements, the trajectory points to further increases. But legal challenges and public opposition, both in the US and abroad, may temper the administration's ambitions.
