U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested roughly 50,000 immigrants in July and August 2026; almost 80% of those migrants did not have a criminal record. Until the end of the Biden administration, federal authorities did not expect migrants to leave the country while their visa renewal was pending. The Trump administration has changed that policy.
ICE has defended itself for the overall scale of detentions by saying that it is simply enforcing federal immigration law. However, immigrant rights advocates are skeptical about this claim and wary about the lack of oversight of ICE agents.
