A Dozen Migrants From Mexico and El Salvador Arrested in South Texas Following ICE Raid

Immigration and Customs Protections (ICE) arrested 12 undocumented migrants in a recent worksite raid on the South Texas border as the agency scrambles to ramp up arrests.

Concretely, 12 immigrants were arrested at two businesses located in Harlingen and San Benito, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the Border Report. The migrants were from Mexico and El Salvador and are now currently pending removal proceedings from the U.S.

The raids were conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley office, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.

An ICE spokesperson told the outlet that raids and subsequent arrests are all the result of real evidence of illegal activity, such as human trafficking, money laundering and fraud, rather than random searches and widespread indiscriminate raids.

The agency said Tuesday that ICE is "aware of concerns circulating throughout South Texas regarding reports of widespread immigration raids. We want to assure the community that these rumors are often exaggerated and can cause unnecessary panic. ICE Homeland Security investigations conducts enforcement operations based on credible evidence— not indiscriminate or widespread raids."

The identities of the arrested migrants, or the charges they face, has not yet been confirmed.

The recent raids comes as ICE scrambles to meet imposed arrest quotas. Last month, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, reportedly threatened in a meeting with ICE leadership to fire senior officials if the agency did not start making 3,000 arrests per day.

The threat has ignited ICE to get creative in how they approach migrant detention, including detaining those in ICE's Alternative to Detention (ATD) program. Under that program, the agency releases undocumented immigrants who are deemed not to be threats to public safety and then keeps track of them through ankle monitors, smartphone apps or other geolocating programs, along with periodic check-ins at ICE facilities.

The arrest increase has also heightened tensions across the country, inspiring hundreds of thousands of Americans to protest the administration's deportation tactics. The demonstrations started in Los Angeles last week, resulting in the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops. However, the activism has spilled over to the rest of the country, with thousands of demonstrations being scheduled for Saturday, the day the administration will celebrate not only the Army's anniversary, but also Trump's 79th birthday.