ICE deportations of Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi immigrants increased ninefold during the first 13 months of President Donald Trump's second administration compared with a similar period under President Joe Biden, according to federal immigration data analyzed by researchers and The American Prospect.
Between Jan. 20, 2025, and March 10, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement recorded 14,678 arrests, 13,455 detentions and 6,453 removals involving immigrants from Asian and Pacific Island nations, according to ICE data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and processed by the Deportation Data Project. Arrests and detentions increased roughly sixfold, while removals rose ninefold.
A research brief from UCLA's Center for Neighborhood Knowledge in April found similar increases, including a nearly 1,200% rise in arrests in community settings such as homes, workplaces and public spaces.
UCLA researchers also found that immigrants without criminal convictions or pending charges accounted for 49% of Asian arrests and 41% of both detentions and removals during the period.
Quyen Dinh, executive director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, told The Prospect that increased enforcement has led some families to avoid leaving their homes. "Whether you had a deportation order or not, you are seen as a suspect from the perspective of ICE," she said.
The increased enforcement has also drawn attention to conditions inside immigration detention facilities. In February, a federal judge ordered the release of Filipino immigrant Greggy Sorio from an ICE facility in Tacoma, Washington, finding a "pattern of failures" in his medical treatment that likely resulted in permanent disability.
Sorio, a lawful permanent resident since 2007 who was detained after completing a prison sentence, underwent two partial foot amputations after developing a bone infection. Judge Tana Lin found his treatment unconstitutional, citing delays in hospital care and failures to provide prescribed medication.
"If they had sent me to the hospital in July when I was begging them, I wouldn't lose my foot," Sorio told NBC's Seattle affiliate after his release.
Advocates say Asian detainees also face longer periods in custody and barriers obtaining interpreters and legal assistance. Those challenges can be particularly significant for Southeast Asian refugees who arrived in the United States decades ago but remain subject to removal orders stemming from past criminal convictions.
