ICE arrests over 2,200 Immigrants in single-day record operation
In a sweeping crackdown, ICE detains more than 2,200 immigrants in a single day — the largest operation of its kind, raising urgent questions about enforcement priorities, civil rights, and the future of immigration policy in the U.S.
Tuesday marked the largest single-day arrest of immigrants in history. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and an ICE spokesperson confirmed that more than 2,200 people were detained that day, confirming pressure from the White House to increase arrests of immigrants in the United States.
The hundreds of people arrested were enrolled in ICE's Alternative to Detention (ATD) program, according to reports from three family sources familiar with the arrests. This program involves releasing undocumented immigrants who are not considered a threat to public safety and tracking them using smartphone apps, electronic bracelets, and other geolocation software.
ICE's new strategy for arresting immigrants
The new arrests are part of a new ICE strategy that involves sending mass text messages to ICE urging them to show up before their scheduled appointment to register at the agency's offices, only to be arrested upon arrival.
The ICE spokesperson mentioned that "those arrested had enforceable final orders of deportation from an immigration judge and had not complied with that order," he commented regarding the detention of immigrants with electronic shackles. He also reiterated that those arrested "had enforceable final orders of deportation from an immigration judge and had not complied with that order," he said, defending the measure.
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The Trump administration's conditioning of ICE
Late last month, Stephen Miller, deputy chief of policy at the White House, stated that if ICE did not make 3,000 arrests per day, they would fire senior officials. To reinforce this strategy, ICE has increased its staff to more than 5,000 employees from other federal agencies with the goal of increasing immigrant arrests and reaching the target set by the Trump administration.
ICE arrested over 2,200 immigrants in a single-day record operation, triggering thousands of deportation proceedings and forcing many families to leave the U.S. Photo: X
President Donald Trump has stated that, during his presidency, he will deport millions of immigrants. To this end, ICE used more than 20,000 electronic shackles, and 98.5% of people with ATDs reported to their records, which facilitated the increase in the number of immigrant arrests in the United States, according to a report by the same institution.
