Arrests and deportations of unauthorized persons has gone up in 2025. How much has been a puzzle since DHS’s press releases don’t have much credibility. Deportation Data released estimates on January 27 which to me are credible.

The report explains the presence of ICE/DHS personnel on the streets. They arrest and they intimidate.  This in turn explains the surge of resistance on the streets, such as the highly coordinated resistance in Minneapolis.

Border enforcement (by Customs and Border Patrol) has largely shut down persons coming over the Mexican border for asylum. Interior immigration enforcement surged, measured in ICE arrests, detainment, and removal (deportation). Deportations following ICE arrests inside the United States rose more than fourfold over a comparable period in 2024. This is due to vastly expanded arrests, especially street arrests, on top of arrests of persons in prison.

Street arrests increased tenfold. For the two decades before 2025, ICE made very few such street arrests. Instead, ICE relied on transfers from jails and prisons for its interior enforcement.  These street arrests focus on persons without a criminal record. Arrests of individuals with no criminal record rose more than seven times. Detention capacity increased – compared to past detention populations of 40,000 or so the detention population today is around 70,000. Early release from detention has sharply declined, leading to expeditious deportation. Facing prolonged detention, many detainees gave up their cases, producing a vast increase in voluntary departures.