Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Texas and across the country have increasingly targeted people who are not already in law enforcement custody, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of federal data.
In Houston, where the killing of an immigrant by an ICE agent has garnered national attention, the monthly number of ICE arrests outside of detention facilities has more than quadrupled, even as in-custody arrests are still more common. The number of arrests in public spaces and homes jumped from a monthly average of 150 under former President Joe Biden to more than 640 under the first 13 months of the Trump administration. Those made up nearly a third of all ICE arrests in the city as of early March 2026, rising from 16% under Biden.
