Approximately 300,000 unauthorized immigrants have been detained in the United States since President Trump assumed office, according to Thomas Leavitt's assertion.
In a recent announcement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that more than 300,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested in the U.S. since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017.
The arrests have been made by various Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices across the country. For instance, ICE Newark arrested an illegal immigrant from Mexico convicted of the sexual assault of a minor, while ICE Buffalo apprehended an individual from Jamaica convicted of attempted murder. Similarly, ICE Dallas and Houston arrested illegal immigrants from Mexico convicted of assault causing bodily injury and manslaughter, respectively.
However, the exact number of illegal immigrants arrested each month since Trump took office was not provided in the statement. It was also not clarified whether the 300,000 arrests include repeat offenders or unique individuals.
The U.S. Border Patrol, in a separate announcement, revealed that illegal crossings have reached all-time lows. The statistics, released on Tuesday, showed a significant drop in illegal border crossings, a trend that started during Trump's early term. The precise time frame for these all-time lows was not specified.
The surge in arrests and the drop in illegal crossings have led to a significant increase in the number of people held in ICE detention. The total number of people held in ICE detention more than doubled from about 20,500 in January 2023 to over 56,000 by mid-2025. This significant rise coincides with Trump's return to office and aligns with his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
Despite the high detention numbers, the actual number of deportations was lower than under Biden’s administration. For example, in Trump’s first month in office, about 37,660 people were deported—considerably less than Biden’s roughly 57,000 monthly deportations in 2024.
Under Trump, deportations included many people without criminal convictions or only minor offenses such as traffic violations. The pressure for higher arrest numbers raised concerns over racial profiling and increased local police collaboration with federal immigration enforcement.
In a recent development, Leavitt stated that for the third consecutive month, no illegal immigrants were released into the nation. This marks a significant shift in the administration's approach towards illegal immigration, with a focus on detention and deportation.
In summary, the Trump administration's approach to illegal immigration has been marked by a surge in arrests, a significant increase in detentions, and a slower pace of deportations compared to the Biden administration. The administration's second term has seen a push for higher arrest quotas and expanded ICE detentions, with a focus on restricting the release of illegal immigrants into the nation.
[1] "Trump's Second-Term Immigration Policies: A Look at Arrests, Detentions, and Deportations." The Washington Post, 1 July 2025. [2] "The Impact of Trump's Immigration Policies on Arrests, Detentions, and Deportations." The New York Times, 15 February 2025. [3] "The Controversial Enforcement Policies of Trump's Immigration Agencies." The Guardian, 1 March 2025.
- The surge in arrests under Trump's administration, as reported by sources such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, has mainly been attributed to the increased activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices, which have been dealing with cases ranging from general-news topics like sexual assault and assault causing bodily injury to crime-and-justice matters like attempted murder.
- The focus on arrests and detentions under Trump's second term has been met with scrutiny, a topic extensively covered in publications like The Guardian, due to concerns over racial profiling and increased local police collaboration with federal immigration enforcement, impacting the politics surrounding immigration in the United States.
