US immigration agents arrested more than 49,500 people in July

What the report says

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 49,571 people in July, according to figures reported by Al Jazeera and based on government data shared with the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Associated Press. The total was the highest monthly arrest count since Donald Trump returned to the White House for his second term and represented an increase of about 15% from June, as well as roughly 70% above February’s level.

Al Jazeera said the monthly pace of arrests has risen sharply over the course of Trump’s second term. It noted that before his return in January 2025, monthly arrests were a little above 8,000, and that the total later climbed past 40,000 in December. The article also said arrests dipped after fatal shootings in Minnesota in January, then rose again in June and July after a period of relative stagnation.

The report highlighted Texas and Florida as major enforcement hubs, with nearly 20,000 of the July arrests occurring in those two states. Both participate in 287(g) cooperation agreements that let local police work more directly with federal immigration enforcement. The article added that the escalation has coincided with an ICE hiring drive that brought in about 12,000 additional officers and agents last year. This matters because it reflects a broader expansion of immigration enforcement capacity and a continued emphasis on arrests under the current administration.