On January 28, 2025, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a new operational strategy under the Trump administration, aiming to detain between 1,200 and 1,500 immigrants daily. This initiative marks a significant increase in immigration enforcement activities since Trump's recent inauguration.
ICE will focus its enforcement efforts on three major cities each week. The current week began with raids in Chicago, followed by operations in New York City, led by the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. The third targeted city for this week is Aurora, a predominantly Hispanic suburb of Denver, Colorado.
Reports indicate that ICE agents across the agency's 25 offices nationwide have been instructed to meet the daily detention targets. On January 27, ICE detained 1,179 individuals, the highest number recorded since Trump's return to power. Of those detained, only 613, or 52%, were classified as 'criminal arrests' involving immigrants with prior criminal records or pending cases in other countries.