ICE detention bookings reach highest monthly total under Trump

Immigration and Customs Enforcement booked more than 43,000 people into detention in June, the highest monthly total since President Trump returned to office, newly released government data shows, as federal immigration enforcement accelerates without the large public operations that marked earlier crackdowns.

ICE data reviewed by CBS News showed more than 43,000 detention bookings in June. The Guardian, analyzing the same newly released data, reported 43,138 arrests for the month, the highest number since Trump took office in January 2025 and the highest recorded since May 2019.

The increase follows pressure from the White House for ICE to boost arrests. Sources inside ICE previously told CBS News that agents had been instructed to target 2,000 arrests per day. June’s total averaged 1,438 arrests per day, while data for the first 11 days of July averaged 1,593 arrests per day. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said ICE does not have arrest quotas.

Administration officials have said enforcement will continue despite scrutiny following fatal shootings by ICE officers during vehicle stops in Texas and Maine this month. The Guardian identified the men killed as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 26, and reported that the shootings sparked protests in cities around the country. CBS News reported that both men were not the original targets of ICE operations.

“ICE isn’t leaving the streets at all,” border czar Tom Homan said Monday on Fox News. After the interview, he told reporters that “numbers were down for a few months because the department was shut down,” referring to a congressional standoff earlier this year over Homeland Security funding.

After the shootings, ICE agents were ordered to immediately pause most vehicle stops, CBS News reported. Trump then posted on Truth Social reversing the order, calling vehicle stops one of the agency’s “most important and effective Crime Fighting tools.” Homan said in a July 15 interview with the Center for Immigration Studies: “The president made it clear this morning: He wants ICE out there doing their job, and that’s what’s gonna happen.”

The number of people held in ICE detention also rose. CBS News reported that an average of about 59,400 people were held in June, up from 58,200 in May, and that the average exceeded 65,600 during the first 11 days of July. The Guardian reported that 65,765 people were in ICE detention as of July 11, below a January record of 70,770. The Guardian also reported that the Trump administration has deported more than 590,600 people since January 2025.

The detained population had fallen after Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota wound down in February, dropping from a peak of about 72,000 in January, according to CBS News. Earlier high-profile enforcement operations had also taken place in Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities. More recently, ICE has continued arrests without the same large-scale public operations.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said his goal is to shift enforcement away from daily headlines while increasing activity. “I’ve turned down the temperature of the stove to try to get it correct without boiling over,” he told reporters Friday. “When I say turn down the temperature, I turn down the temperature with you guys. We’re turning up the heat on the streets.”

The data also show continued arrests of people without criminal records. CBS News reported that the average number of detained people without criminal records rose from nearly 22,000 in June to just over 26,000 in the first 11 days of July, a 20% increase. Those with criminal convictions and pending criminal charges each increased by 5% over the same period. As of July 11, 29% of detainees had criminal convictions and 31% had pending criminal charges.

“When it comes to immigration enforcement, the majority of people we are arresting, despite the lies being told by the left, are criminals,” Homan said on Fox News, emphasizing the combined share of detainees with convictions or pending charges.