Texas, Florida, and California account for the largest number of 109,000 arrests made by ICE

In the first five months of Donald Trump’s second term, specifically between January 20 and June 27, there have been 109,000 immigrant arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, with the states bordering Mexico (California and Texas), along with Florida, recording the highest number nationwide, according to official figures published by the Deportation Data Project.

Texas leads the way, with nearly a quarter of the arrests, or 23.2% of the total. Florida follows with 11% and California with 7%. Georgia (4%) and Arizona (3%) are in fourth and fifth place. In contrast, the states with the fewest arrests are northern states: Vermont, Alaska, and Montana. The three states combined account for approximately 100 arrests.

ICE’s concentrated action in the southern states is not necessarily new and can largely be attributed to the millions of immigrants living in this part of the U.S. This explains what is currently happening on the streets of California, a territory with state and local policies that limit police cooperation with the government, yet which is home to large communities of undocumented immigrants.

In the case of Texas and Florida, the level of cooperation between local police and ICE explains the high number of arrests in both states. Both territories are currently among those most at risk for the undocumented migrant population.

On the other hand, arrests of foreigners have increased significantly since last year across the country. During the same period in 2024, under the Joe Biden administration, ICE made about 49,000 arrests, but since Trump’s return to the White House, detentions have increased by 120%.

Where do detained immigrants come from?

Official figures indicate that people arrested by ICE between late January and June came from nearly 180 countries, but the majority were from Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to a report by the Migration Policy Institute, Latin American and Caribbean immigrants accounted for 84% of all undocumented foreigners in the United States in 2023. Mexico is the country with the highest number of detained citizens, with nearly 40,000 immigrants in ICE custody. Guatemala and Honduras follow with approximately 15,000 and 12,000, respectively. Venezuelan citizens are in fourth place, with 8,000 arrested; and El Salvador, with 5,000.

The goal: one million deportees by 2025

These numbers also show that ICE has almost entirely reversed the limitations on arrests inside the country imposed during the Biden presidency and has managed to have its agents apprehend a greater number of people, mostly undocumented immigrants with no criminal record or who have not committed any serious offenses. While the White House maintains its narrative of continuing to prioritize the arrest of violent criminals within the United States, it is already warning that anyone found in the country violating federal immigration law will be detained. This was confirmed by Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, in an interview with CBS News.

Regarding the number of deportations, ICE claims the number has already reached 150,000, putting the agency on track to achieve the highest number of expulsions since the Obama administration more than a decade ago, but the numbers are still far below the one million goal set by Trump officials. At this rate, deportations by 2025 will only reach just over 300,000.

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