ICE Arrests 10,000 Criminal Immigrants in Five-Day Enforcement Surge
Immigration enforcement intensified as ICE agents arrested roughly 10,000 criminal illegal immigrants in five days, nearly doubling the previous peak and targeting violent offenders across the country.
Roughly 10,000 criminal illegal immigrants were pulled from American streets in a five-day enforcement sweep ending June 30, marking a dramatic escalation that signals the Trump administration's renewed focus on removing dangerous offenders from U.S. communities.
The surge to approximately 2,000 arrests per day nearly doubled the December 2025 peak of 1,283 daily arrests, according to internal data obtained by The New York Times. ICE detention facilities held roughly 39,000 people in June, up from around 30,000 per month since February. That increase came during Operation Take Back America, established by a March 2025 Justice Department memorandum.
Daily DHS operations continue removing individuals convicted of heinous crimes. "Yesterday, the brave men and women of ICE risked their lives to arrest illegal criminal aliens convicted for attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer, lewd or lascivious acts with a child, rape, assault with a deadly weapon, and burglary," Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated July 10.
The July 10 operations targeted specific violent offenders across multiple states. Agents apprehended Jose Solorzano-Felix, a Mexican national convicted of attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer and possession of a handgun by an illegal immigrant, in Salt Lake City. Paulino Lugos-Perez from Mexico, convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child, was taken in Santa Clara, California. Adrian Valdez-Lopez, a Mexican national convicted of second-degree forcible rape, was arrested in Forsyth County, North Carolina.
The pattern holds across jurisdictions. Arizona prosecutors charged 254 individuals with immigration crimes during the week of July 4-10 alone. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona reported 63 illegal reentry cases, 169 illegal entry cases, and 18 smuggling cases involving 22 individuals. Federal enforcement partners included ICE, Border Patrol, DEA, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and ATF.
The weekly numbers reveal consistent intensity. Prosecutors charged 325 individuals the prior week and 365 the week before that. This approach under DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has produced greater results than the high-profile sweeps of previous DHS leadership. Arrests nearly doubled from February's low of 1,057 per day to roughly 2,000 per day in late June, even as Mullin stated he wanted the department to "stay out of headlines and do the work quietly."
Sanctuary state policies continue shielding dangerous criminals from deportation. ICE reports New York jails released 6,947 criminal illegal aliens since Jan. 20, 2025, including 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 392 dangerous drug offenses, 300 weapons offenses, and 207 sexual predatory offenses. DHS has lodged multiple detainers in Illinois and Virginia, asking governors not to release criminal illegal immigrants.
"Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the United States," Bis stated July 8. "While sanctuary politicians continue to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make America safe again."
The conflict between state and federal authority crystallized in the case of Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national who entered the U.S. illegally in 1994. Convicted of criminal sexual conduct against a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2005, Vang tried to pay the victim $10 for silence and called his crimes "minor things." A final removal order issued in 2006 for Vang went unenforced after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, members of the state Board of Pardons, granted him a pardon June 10, 2026.
ICE deported Vang July 10, but administration officials condemned the state-level interference. "Sanctuary politicians put these horrific criminal illegals ahead of their own constituents every single day," DHS Secretary Mullin stated. "It's unforgivable."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio added, "Just weeks ago, a convicted sex offender and foreign national was shielded from deportation by the governor of Minnesota. Just days before this foreign sex offender was scheduled to be deported, Tim Walz, the governor, issued him a pardon."
Border security improvements complement the interior enforcement surge. CBP data shows southwest border encounters fell from 405,171 during the first eight months of FY 2025 to 90,121 during the same period in FY 2026, a 77 percent decline. DHS reported 13 consecutive months of zero border releases as of June 2026, creating a compounding effect that reduces illegal entry while enabling aggressive interior targeting.
DHS maintains that nearly 70 percent of ICE arrests involve criminal illegal aliens. The administration has arrested over 10,000 gang members since taking office, hitting that milestone June 24. ICE Director nominee Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma Highway Patrolman, was nominated June 27 to continue the enforcement momentum.
"Under @POTUS Trump, we are putting Americans FIRST, targeting the worst of the worst, and getting illegal aliens OFF our streets," Secretary Mullin stated, framing the continued operations as prioritizing public safety over political sanctuary policies.