The Trump administration has set a new target for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest 3,000 people per day, more than triple the figures from earlier this year. The goal, amounting to over a million arrests annually, was delivered by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a tense meeting with ICE officials on 21 May in Washington DC.
The meeting involved leaders from ICE's enforcement and removal operations (ERO) and homeland security investigations (HSI). ERO handles immigration enforcement, while HSI typically focuses on transnational crime. The new target is part of a broader crackdown that includes mandating other federal law enforcement agencies to assist with arrests, deputising local police, and conducting arrests at previously protected locations like courthouses.
Critics argue the aggressive approach is causing harm. Nayna Gupta, policy director for the American Immigration Council, said the administration is doubling down despite public polling showing decreasing support. Jesse Franzblau of the National Immigrant Justice Center added that raids are hitting families and communities in unprecedented ways. Concerns also include citizens being caught in the dragnet, overcrowded detention centres, and non-immigration investigations being sidelined.
Despite the surge, the target falls short of President Trump's campaign pledge to deport 15 to 20 million people, which exceeds the estimated 11 million undocumented population. On Tuesday, ICE and other agencies arrested around 40 people on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, with the Coast Guard assisting in transport, angering some residents.
