ICE At-Large Arrests Has More Than Doubled as Enforcement Shifts to Communities: Report

Immigration and Customs Enforcement more than doubled its number of at-large arrests this fall as the Trump administration shifted enforcement away from local jails and toward tracking immigrants in communities, according to a Washington Post analysis of government data.

The analysis found that ICE made about 17,500 at-large arrests in September and was on pace to exceed that figure in October, the highest monthly totals in data dating back to 2011. At-large arrests—those carried out in homes, workplaces, immigration check-ins, or public spaces—now account for a majority of ICE's monthly arrests, a change that became evident beginning in June.

According to the report by The Post, the previous peak before 2025 for such arrests was January 2023, when ICE recorded more than 11,500 under the Biden administration. Data analyzed shows that ICE is now making more than four times as many at-large arrests per week as during President Donald Trump's first term.

From June through October, ICE conducted roughly 67,800 community arrests nationwide, more than double the total from the previous five months.

Administration officials repeatedly set a goal along the year of 1 million deportations in Trump's first year back in office, while Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller publicly urged 3,000 immigration arrests per day. Although daily arrests have not reached that level—the highest single-day total was about 1,900 on June 4—overall arrests rose by roughly 60 percent from June through mid-October compared with the administration's first five months.

Data also showed that more than 60 percent of people arrested at large since June had no criminal convictions or pending charges. Former ICE Director Sarah Saldaña told the Post that the approach reflects a broader mandate rather than targeted enforcement. "That is consistent with their mandate to remove anybody in the country who doesn't have authorization," she said. "To me, that is a waste of resources."

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin disputed the analysis, saying 70 percent of those arrested by ICE have criminal convictions or pending charges, including offenses abroad. "Nationwide our law enforcement is targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens," she said.

The surge in arrests has pushed detention levels to records. As of Dec. 14, ICE was holding more than 68,400 people nationwide, the highest figure ever recorded in the agency's biweekly data. Nearly half of detainees lacked a criminal record in the United States, figures reported by CBS News show.

As enforcement expands, ICE is also seeking contractors to convert large warehouses into processing and detention centers capable of holding more than 80,000 people, according to a separate Washington Post report.