U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted its largest single-day immigration sweep in agency history on Tuesday, detaining more than 2,200 individuals nationwide in response to escalating pressure from the White House to intensify enforcement.
An ICE spokesperson and a source familiar with the operation confirmed the record-setting total, noting that hundreds of those arrested were enrolled in ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program. The program allows certain undocumented immigrants—deemed low risk to public safety—to remain in the community under electronic monitoring, including ankle bracelets, mobile apps, or GPS tracking, while reporting regularly to ICE offices.
However, attorneys and advocates say many of Tuesday’s arrests involved questionable tactics. Immigration lawyers across the country told NBC News that numerous clients participating in ATD received mass text messages from ICE instructing them to appear early for scheduled check-ins—only to be detained upon arrival.
NBC News reporters observed seven individuals being handcuffed outside ICE’s field office in New York City on Wednesday and placed in unmarked vehicles. Among them was a 30-year-old Colombian national, who was taken into custody as his wife wept and his daughter attempted to follow him. Masked officers escorted him and two others into waiting vehicles.
“He’s complied fully with every ICE request and never missed a check-in,” said Margaret Cargioli, the attorney representing the man’s family.
Outside the same ICE facility, Veronica Navarrete waited for a friend from Ecuador who had been summoned for a check-in. She described a tense atmosphere, with migrants pacing outside and hesitating to enter.
“If you go in, they might detain you,” she said. “If you don’t go in, you miss your appointment and face automatic deportation. We feel trapped.”
In a statement, ICE defended the arrests, asserting that those taken into custody had received final orders of removal from immigration judges and failed to comply. When pressed for clarification—given that several attorneys reported their clients had not received such orders—the agency did not respond.
Two individuals briefed on internal discussions told NBC News that White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller recently warned ICE leadership that failure to detain at least 3,000 people per day would result in the removal of top officials.
Enforcement Surge Draws Criticism
Former ICE officials criticized the arrest surge as politically motivated and operationally impractical. Former President Donald Trump has pledged to deport “millions,” and his former acting ICE director, Tom Homan, said enforcement would focus on “the worst of the worst.” But current and former officials say the agency lacks the resources to meet such ambitious targets and is employing broad tactics instead.
ICE data indicates that more than 20,000 migrants are currently being monitored via ankle devices. Nearly 98.5% of ATD participants comply with scheduled check-ins, making them easy to locate.
“This kind of indiscriminate mass arrest—targeting individuals appearing for check-ins, court hearings, or supervised release—cannot credibly be justified as a public safety measure,” said Atenas Burrola Estrada, an attorney with the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights.
Greg Chen, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, warned that fear is spreading rapidly through immigrant communities.
“People are afraid to go to court or check-ins,” Chen said. “This type of sweeping, unselective enforcement is sowing fear and instability.”
To support the crackdown, ICE has reallocated more than 5,000 personnel from other federal enforcement agencies to participate in the operation.
Legal Status Complicates Deportation
Not all those detained face immediate removal. Migrants with pending asylum claims or appeals must wait until their cases are adjudicated in immigration court before they can be deported.
Jason Houser, who served as ICE chief of staff under the Biden administration, called the recent strategy “a bureaucratic overreach.”
“These individuals have already been vetted, are complying with supervision requirements, and often have pending legal claims or protections,” Houser said. “Targeting them undermines both the integrity and compassion of the immigration system.”
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