Federal immigration authorities arrested over 10,000 people across the United States within a five-day period following a directive from the White House to ramp up enforcement operations, sources told ABC News on Thursday.
The surge came after recent Supreme Court rulings favored the administration's immigration policies.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were instructed to maintain a new benchmark of at least 2,000 daily arrests, according to internal documents obtained by The New York Times.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson confirmed that nearly 70% of those detained had prior criminal charges or convictions in the United States.
“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,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Broader Deportation Goals
The operation aligns with a broader agency objective to deport 1 million people annually and hold at least 99,000 detainees daily in specialized facilities during the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years.
Marcos Charles, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations executive associate director, thanked agents in a message: “I want to personally thank each of you for your extraordinary efforts this past weekend.
Through your dedication, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to our mission, enforcement and removal operations achieved remarkable operational results.”
The enforcement wave escalated sharply after the Supreme Court permitted the administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals from Haiti and Syria, enabling officials to plan the deportation of 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told CNN: “Either try to fill out the paperwork and be here underneath a permanent status, or we’ll help you get back to your country.”
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller confirmed the administration's intent to proceed with immediate removals for individuals who lose their legal protections.
“Well, of course, if you no longer have status in this country, then you’re supposed to be deported,” Miller said.
When questioned about safety conditions in Haiti, where the State Department maintains a strict advisory against American travel due to systemic crime and unrest, Miller dismissed safety concerns based on nationality.
“Haitians live in Haiti. I mean, it would be crazy for us to say that Haitians couldn’t live in Haiti.
It’s their country,” he told reporters.
The sudden escalation in street sweeps and courthouse arrests has drawn intense bipartisan criticism from lawmakers and advocacy groups like Make the Road New York, which accused ICE of violating judicial orders and due process rights.
Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project and leader of the Mass Deportation Coalition, said: “There have been so many numbers thrown around in press releases, estimates, extrapolations, and puffery that most people are just kind of immune to it and waiting to see the hard data that's being withheld.”
