ICE detentions reach record high of over 46,000 in July, marking peak of Trump's second term

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions reached a record high of over 46,000 in July 2026, driven by White House pressure to hit 2,000 daily arrests. Under Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the agency has quietly expanded enforcement to airports and traffic stops, despite intense controversy surrounding the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and the termination of Temporary Protected Status for 300,000 Haitian migrants.

ICE detention record highs

• ▪The July 2026 Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention figures surpassed the previous record of approximately 43,000 detentions recorded in June 2026.
• ▪As of early August 2026, approximately 68,000 people were held in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention system nationwide.
• ▪Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained over 46,000 individuals in July 2026, setting a record high for Donald Trump's second presidential term.

White House enforcement pressure

• ▪The White House pressured Immigration and Customs Enforcement to achieve a daily target of 2,000 immigration arrests across the United States.
• ▪Immigration and Customs Enforcement processed an average of approximately 1,500 detainees per day during July 2026.

Fatal ICE shootings controversy

• ▪Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests rebounded in July 2026 after a decline earlier in the year following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
• ▪Renee Good was fatally shot by federal immigration officers on January 7, 2026, and Alex Pretti was fatally shot by officers on January 24, 2026.

Airport arrest operations

• ▪Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in plainclothes arrested noncitizen travelers near gates and check-in counters at airports throughout the United States.
• ▪The Transportation Security Administration collaborated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement by sharing information on noncitizen travelers whose status had lapsed.

Traffic stop tactics

• ▪President Donald Trump intervened to overturn a short-lived Immigration and Customs Enforcement moratorium on vehicle stops within 24 hours of its implementation.
• ▪Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine during attempted traffic stops in July 2026.

Haitian TPS termination

• ▪Haitian migrants in Ohio began receiving official notices directing them to report to local Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices.
• ▪The Trump administration terminated the Temporary Protected Status of more than 300,000 Haitian migrants, expanding the population eligible for deportation.