During the first 50 days of President Trump's second term, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested over 32,000 migrants living in the United States without legal status.

The Details: ICE arrested and detained roughly 655 unauthorized migrants per day between January 20 and March 10, officials said Wednesday. It arrested and detained roughly 255 people per day under Biden in 2024. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE leaders claim that the Biden administration manipulated ICE arrest data to mislead the public. They allege that the preceding administration reported tens of thousands of arrests while releasing many individuals into the community under the catch-and-release policy.

For Context: The current surge in arrests reportedly includes over 14,000 convicted criminals, 9,800 migrants with pending criminal charges, 1,155 suspected gang members, and 44 foreign fugitives. About 8,718 of the arrests were categorized as "immigration violators"; individuals who not necessarily targeted but swept up during operations.

How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) reported the story with a strong focus on the allegations against the Biden administration, specifically the claim of 'cooking the books' on ICE arrest data. Newsweek (Center) mentioned the surge in arrests under Trump while also noting that the numbers fall short of Trump's election promise. ABC News (Lean Left), while noting the significant increase in arrests, highlighted how some individuals have been released under Trump's watch due to "judicial release" and "medical conditions and other humanitarian factors." Furthermore, ABC emphasized that ICE is currently maxed out on detention facilities, and is pushing for congressional action and more funding.

Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission.