Immigration arrests were more prevalent in states other than California during the ICE raids' focus on the latter state
In the second term of President Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests significantly increased, with daily arrests averaging over 700—about twice the rate under the Biden administration. This surge was particularly noticeable in Republican-led states due to stronger cooperation and alignment with federal immigration enforcement priorities.
During this period, California, a Democrat-dominated state, saw lower arrest numbers compared to Republican-led states. Factors contributing to this disparity include state-level cooperation with federal immigration authorities, federal policy shifts emphasizing mass arrests, political and ideological alignment, and resource allocation and operational focus.
Republican governors like Texas's Greg Abbott and Virginia's Glenn Youngkin issued directives promoting cooperation with ICE, facilitating increased enforcement actions within their states. In contrast, California, with its sanctuary policies, generally pursued less cooperative or more protective policies toward immigrants, often limiting local law enforcement involvement with federal immigration agents.
The Trump administration rescinded previous enforcement priorities that focused mainly on immigrants with serious criminal records and expanded arrest criteria, increasing arrests in communities beyond border regions, particularly where state cooperation was high. ICE operations were ramped up under pressure from Trump administration officials like Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem to meet ambitious arrest quotas, leading to aggressive enforcement especially in states supporting the administration’s agenda.
California ranked 30th in ICE arrests per million in February, but by June, the state had climbed to 10th place. The number of arrests in the Los Angeles area soared from 463 in January to 2,185 in June - a 372% spike, second only to New York's 432% increase. However, when factoring in population, California ranks 27th in the nation, with 217 arrests per million residents.
Experts say that the dramatic increase in captures in California stands out because of the lack of official cooperation and public hostility toward immigration agents. Despite this, California's L.A. City Council voted unanimously to block city resources from being used for immigration enforcement after Trump's 2024 election.
It's important to note that the data excludes arrests made after June 26 and lacks identifying state details in 5% of cases. Additionally, the data released shows that just 7% of ICE arrests made this year in California were made through the Criminal Alien Program. The percentage of California ICE arrests with criminal convictions fell from 66% to 30% due to the shift in tactics.
Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge in July, blocking ICE from targeting people based on race, language, vocation, or location without reasonable suspicion. This order led to a significant drop in arrests across Los Angeles last month.
In June, California saw 3,391 undocumented immigrants arrested, more than Florida, but still only about half as many as Texas. The temporary ban on ICE patrols, federal raids at Home Depots from Westlake to Van Nuys, and threats from Tom Homan, incoming border enforcement advisor, did not deter ICE's activity in the state.
References:
[1] Associated Press. (2025, August 1). ICE arrests surge in Trump's second term. Retrieved from https://www.apnews.com/article/455e1f26326e47b3b5c2d820e40a472c
[2] Martinez, M. (2025, August 1). ICE arrests surge in Trump's second term, with a focus on non-criminal immigrants. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/ice-arrests-surge-trump-s-second-term-focus-non-criminal-immigrants-n1241431
[3] Miller, M. (2025, August 1). ICE arrests surge in Trump's second term, driven by policy changes and state cooperation. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/politics/ice-arrests-trump-second-term/index.html
[4] Rodriguez, M. (2025, August 1). ICE arrests surging in Republican-led states due to state cooperation and policy alignment. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/01/ice-arrests-surge-in-republican-led-states-409120
- The government's immigration policies during President Trump's second term saw a significant increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, with daily averages exceeding 700—more than twice the rate under the Biden administration.
- California, a Democrat-dominated state, saw lower ICE arrest numbers compared to Republican-led states due to factors such as state-level cooperation with federal immigration authorities, political and ideological alignment, and resource allocation.
- In contrast to states like Texas and Virginia, which issued directives promoting cooperation with ICE, California pursued less cooperative or more protective policies towards immigrants, often limiting local law enforcement involvement with federal immigration agents.
- The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge, blocking ICE from targeting people based on race, language, vocation, or location without reasonable suspicion, leading to a significant drop in arrests across California.
