Trump officials order to ramp up illegal immigrant arrests New Daily Target Up to 1,500 arrests

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have been directed by Trump officials to aggressively ramp up the number of people they arrest, from a few hundred per day to at least 1,200 to 1,500, according to four people with knowledge of the briefings.

The move comes as President Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with the current pace of his mass deportation efforts, prompting a push for a significant increase in arrests, Caliber.Az reports via US media sources.

The quotas were outlined on January 25 in a call with senior ICE officials, who were told that each of the agency’s field offices should make 75 arrests per day and managers would be held accountable for missing those targets. The four people spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal briefings.

The orders significantly increase the chance that officers will engage in more indiscriminate enforcement tactics or face accusations of civil rights violations as they strain to meet quotas, according to current and former ICE officials.

White House “border czar” Tom Homan has said for weeks that ICE would not conduct mass roundups and its officers would prioritize immigrants with criminal records and who are gang members. But the quotas issued this weekend would place ICE officers under more pressure to seize a wider range of potential deportees to avoid reprimand, including immigrants who have not committed crimes.

In July 2024, ICE told lawmakers there are about 670,000 immigrants on its caseload who have criminal convictions or face criminal charges. Some are currently serving sentences in jails and prisons.

Notably, in the early days of President Donald Trump's second term, the administration has intensified immigration enforcement, leading to a significant increase in arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants.

Shortly after taking office, President Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying military personnel to support border enforcement efforts. This move is part of a broader strategy to deport all undocumented immigrants, with initial operations commencing in Chicago and plans to expand nationwide.

On January 23, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted large-scale raids in cities including Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Miami, Washington D.C., New York City, and Newark, resulting in the detention of 538 undocumented immigrants. These individuals included a suspected terrorist, members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and individuals convicted of sex crimes against minors. The operation was described as the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.

Moreover, the Trump administration has rolled back policies that previously protected immigrants in sensitive areas such as hospitals, places of worship, courtrooms, funerals, weddings, and schools. This change allows law enforcement agencies to operate more freely in these locations, increasing the potential for arrests in communities that were once considered safe havens.

By Khagan Isayev