The Trump administration has intensified its focus on immigration enforcement by setting new arrest quotas for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Officials expect ICE to execute between 1,200 and 1,500 arrests daily, with a target of 75 arrests per day assigned to each ICE field office. This move comes as the arrest rate in February showed a decline compared to the 800-1,200 daily arrests seen in late January. The administration has expressed dissatisfaction with the current deportation and arrest levels, prompting significant changes in ICE leadership.
Russell Hott and Peter Berg, two senior ICE officials, have been reassigned due to frustrations over the agency's inability to meet President Donald Trump’s deportation targets. Hott now serves at ICE’s local office in Washington D.C., while Berg has been moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. In their place, Todd Lyons from ICE's Boston office has assumed the role of acting head of ICE’s enforcement and removal operations. These changes reflect the administration's determination to escalate deportation efforts.
ICE has ceased publishing daily arrest figures, further highlighting the tense atmosphere surrounding immigration enforcement. Reports indicate that President Trump and his officials are "angry" about the current levels of deportations and arrests, a sentiment echoed by NBC News. Trump's "border czar," Tom Homan, who previously led ICE, shared his dissatisfaction with the agency's performance.
"It's driving him nuts they're not deporting more people," a source familiar with Trump's thinking revealed.
"Sanctuary cities are putting roadblocks up. We've got leaks. So we need to increase the arrests of illegal aliens, especially those with criminal convictions. So we're going to continue," Tom Homan stated.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to carry out "millions and millions" of deportations of undocumented immigrants. However, sanctuary cities have posed significant challenges by implementing measures to obstruct deportations. Additionally, ICE has been forced to release detainees as some detention centers have exceeded their maximum capacity, a situation that has frustrated Trump officials.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin emphasized the need for accountability within ICE.
“ICE needs a culture of accountability that it has been starved of for the past four years. We have a president, DHS secretary, and American people who rightfully demand results, and our ICE leadership will ensure the agency delivers,” McLaughlin stated.