ICE arrests hit record high while border wall construction accelerates
New data shows a surge in interior detentions and a sharp drop in border crossings as the Trump administration pushes through its immigration agenda.
By Giulia Marshall ·
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded nearly 50,000 arrests in July, a monthly record according to data from the Deportation Data Project. The surge in detentions coincides with a sharp decline in people crossing the southern border, a trend officials credit to stricter enforcement policies and new physical barriers.
President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise of mass deportations and a closed border in 2024. Since returning to office, his administration has implemented a series of measures to reduce migrant arrivals. These include freezing asylum applications at the border, ending the practice of releasing detainees into the country, and deploying troops to the border region.
The number of border encounters dropped dramatically. During the Biden administration, more than 4.5 million encounters were recorded in 2023 and 2024. By the end of Trump’s first year in office, those numbers had fallen to a trickle. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated on October 16 that the data proves the administration delivered on its promise of a secure border.
Construction of the border wall has also sped up. The administration secured $46.5 billion in new funding through the One Big Beautiful spending bill. Government figures show that 644 miles of primary wall existed before Trump returned to the White House. Since then, 250 more miles of new wall have been completed. An additional 1,443 miles of barriers are currently under construction.
Experts question whether the wall itself is responsible for the drop in crossings. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, an immigration enforcement expert at the American Immigration Council, noted that there has been no significant change in the number of people crossing since new wall construction began in earnest. He attributes the reduction more to Trump’s policies and messaging than to the physical structure.
The interior enforcement strategy has drawn criticism despite the drop in border crossings. Data from the Deportation Data Project indicates that a large portion of the recent arrests involve people without criminal convictions. In July 2026, detentions of immigrants with criminal histories reached an all-time low of 27%. ICE is currently removing an average of 1,255 people per day, up from about 770 in the final months of the Biden administration.
Refugee admissions have also slowed. The administration suspended refugee admissions shortly after Trump returned to office. The cap for the 2026 fiscal year was initially set at 7,500 but was raised to 17,500 in May due to an emergency refugee situation. State Department data shows that 16,292 refugees were admitted in the 2026 fiscal year, with 16,287 of those from South Africa. By comparison, 60,000 and 100,000 refugees entered the country in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Legal pathways for skilled workers have tightened. In September 2025, the administration imposed a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas. Although a court has blocked the fee for now, registrations for 2027 fell by 40%. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the drop shows the program is better serving its intended purpose of attracting highly skilled workers. A separate Trump Gold Card program, which requires a $1 million payment to the government, has accepted only one applicant as of April.
The midterm elections are approaching, with voters viewing the race as a referendum on the administration’s handling of immigration. A New York Times and Siena poll released on October 21 found that 50% of voters trust Democrats to handle the issue, compared with 46% for Republicans. A separate Politico and Public First poll found that 31% of non-MAGA Republicans believe the campaign has become too aggressive.
