Trump’s ICE Crackdown: 32,000 Arrests in 50 Days as Mass Deportations Surge

Social Media · Saturday at 12:00 AM

In the first 50 days of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 32,000 migrants—70% of whom have either been convicted of crimes or are facing charges, according to senior agency officials.

The surge in enforcement has already pushed ICE detention centers to full capacity, with all available beds across the country now occupied. Among those detained, 14,000 are convicted criminals, 10,000 have pending charges, and 8,700 have no known criminal records in the U.S. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons made it clear that this is just the beginning. “We expect these ICE arrests and removal numbers will only go up as we unleash an agency that had its hands tied behind its back for the last four years,” he said.

ICE has not disclosed how many migrants have been deported so far. However, the scale of arrests under Trump has already reached nearly a quarter of the total 114,000 arrests made throughout the entire previous year. “President Trump campaigned on border security enforcement, the American people voted on it, and we are delivering it beyond anyone’s expectations,” said Lyons.

Agency officials have also accused the Biden administration of inflating ICE arrest numbers by counting “tens of thousands” of migrants who were only processed and released back into U.S. communities without actual immigration enforcement. “The previous administration counted these arrests, even though no immigration enforcement action was taken,” Lyons claimed.

With the rapid increase in detentions, ICE has filled 47,600 beds and is now requesting additional funding from Congress to expand its capacity. The administration is also seeking help from other federal and local agencies with available detention space.

In an effort to manage limited resources, the Trump administration has introduced a self-deportation option using the new CBP Home phone application, allowing migrants to voluntarily leave the country. Meanwhile, some detainees with serious medical conditions or other humanitarian concerns have been released with tracking devices such as ankle monitors.

Despite these measures, officials insist they are not reviving “catch and release” policies. Among those arrested so far, ICE has identified 1,155 suspected gang members, 44 foreign fugitives, and 29 individuals classified as known or suspected terrorists.

With Trump’s immigration enforcement strategy in full force, the number of ICE arrests and deportations is expected to climb even higher in the coming months.

Based on a report by NYP 2025-03-15