Trump’s immigration push backfires and faces major backlash - ICE arrests plunge 20% in July

Arrests by U.S. immigration agents dropped by nearly 20% in July 2025, even though President Trump pushed for more arrests. This is based on new data from a group called TRAC. The Trump administration does not fully agree with the numbers but admits arrests went down.

The drop happened after many protests in June against ICE raids, especially in Southern California, where masked agents arrested many immigrants. Courts issued orders that stopped some ICE actions, which made it harder for ICE to carry out certain raids, as per the report by msn.

Arrests drop despite Trump's push

Deportations of immigrants actually increased in July. About 84 more people were deported daily in July compared to June. More than 18,000 people were removed in June alone. Trump changed his mind about whether to pause raids in farming and hotel industries, which confused ICE and affected arrest numbers.


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ICE agents arrested about 990 people per day in July (from July 1 to 27), down from 1,224 per day in June. This is far below the 3,000 daily arrests goal set by White House adviser Stephen Miller, as stated in the report by msn.

Deportations rise and court limits raids

The Justice Department told a federal court that ICE leadership is no longer required to meet arrest quotas. The total number of people in ICE custody dropped slightly from 57,861 to 56,945 over four weeks.

Immigration activists called the June raids the “Summer of ICE.” Masked agents in plain clothes went into communities and arrested people suddenly. Many immigrants had to leave behind their children, pets, cars, and work tools during these sudden arrests, as per the report by msn.

Some U.S. citizens, mostly Latinos, were wrongly detained by ICE. Critics say this was racial profiling and too aggressive policing. Immigrant groups filed a lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during the raids.

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A federal appeals court recently upheld an order that stops many of the ICE tactics used in Southern California. The Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said arrests dropped by 10%, from 31,000 in June to 27,000 in July, as per the reports.

McLaughlin said ICE is still arresting dangerous criminals like gang members, terrorists, and pedophiles. About 71% of people in ICE detention had not been convicted of any crime as of July 27. Most convicted detainees had only minor offenses like traffic violations, as mentioned by msn report.

FAQs

Q1. Why did U.S. immigration arrests drop in July 2025?
Arrests dropped due to protests, court orders limiting ICE raids, and confusion over new policies.

Q2. Did deportations increase even though arrests went down?
Yes, deportations increased by about 84 people daily in July compared to June.