Federal immigration authorities arrested more than 10,000 illegal aliens living in the United States over a five-day period, marking one of the largest enforcement surges since President Donald Trump returned to office.
The increase comes as the administration intensifies efforts to expand deportation operations and boost daily arrest totals across the country.
The White House confirmed the spike Thursday after reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers had significantly increased enforcement activity nationwide.
According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that nearly 70 percent of those arrested during the five-day operation had either been convicted of crimes in the United States or were facing pending criminal charges.
DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis echoed that message.
“Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists,” she said, according to Fox News.
The enforcement push follows internal pressure from senior Trump administration officials to raise arrest numbers.
Officials have also expanded enforcement during routine immigration appointments, vehicle stops and other encounters in public settings.
Internal enforcement goals have reportedly risen to roughly 2,000 daily arrests, about twice the pace seen earlier this year, according to NewsNation.
Administration officials said the White House continues coordinating with federal agencies to carry out Trump’s immigration agenda.
One official pointed to funding provided through the Secure America Act, which allocates approximately $70 billion to Department of Homeland Security agencies through 2029.
The funding is intended to expand the federal immigration workforce, improve immigration court operations, and increase ICE’s enforcement capacity.
“(ICE) Arrest numbers increasing is the result of continued work by the Administration on many different fronts,” a White House official said Thursday.
The rise in arrests has also increased the number of illegal aliens held in federal detention.
Reports indicate ICE detention facilities recently exceeded 63,000 detainees, although the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse said it had not yet received updated data confirming that figure.
The latest publicly available federal data from April showed more than 60,000 people in ICE custody, with TRAC reporting that more than 70 percent of detainees at that time did not have criminal convictions.
The enforcement surge occurred during a week of major Supreme Court immigration decisions.
Resist the Mainstream reported earlier this week that the high court declined the administration’s effort to end birthright citizenship, leaving longstanding constitutional protections in place.
Following the ruling, Trump urged Congress to pursue legislation addressing birthright citizenship, writing on Truth Social that lawmakers should begin working immediately to end what he called an “expensive and unfair” policy.
Meanwhile, border czar Tom Homan has announced plans to deploy additional ICE officers to New York City, arguing that state policies have limited cooperation between local and federal immigration authorities.
Reports also indicate former Oklahoma State Trooper Lance Schroyer has been nominated to serve as acting ICE director after Todd Lyons departed the position at the end of June.
Trump described Schroyer as a “proven leader with DECADES of experience locking up the worst of the worst.”
Immigration advocates have criticized the expanded enforcement campaign, arguing that arrests increasingly include illegal aliens without criminal records.
Attorneys in South Florida reported clients being detained during routine immigration appointments despite having future court dates already scheduled.
Administration officials, however, maintain their enforcement efforts remain focused on individuals they describe as posing threats to public safety while continuing broader deportation operations nationwide.
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