Across the country, the tempo of U.S. immigration enforcement has accelerated, pushing deportations into the spotlight and raising new questions about who gets removed, and why.
What is ICE?
ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is a federal law enforcement agency which is under the Department of Homeland Security. It was originally created in 2003, after the 9/11 attacks, as part of the government’s effort to strengthen national security and reorganize immigration enforcement.
There are two main branches in ICE:
- Enforcement and Removal Operations: They handle arrests, detentions, and deportations of people within the USA who are here illegally and people who have violated immigration laws in any way
- Homeland Security Investigations: They investigate crimes like human trafficking, drug smuggling, financial fraud, illegal trade, etc.
ICE history
Before Trump took office in 2017, ICE operated with a narrower enforcement focus. Under Obama, the agency prioritized individuals with serious criminal convictions, recent border crossings, or national security risks, effectively directing its efforts toward those considered higher-risk rather than the broader undocumented population.
But when Donald Trump became president, ICE turned to aggression, explicitly targeting minority groups more than ever before.
Once Trump was elected, he went on to take a tougher stance: anyone without legal status in the USA could now be deported. There were increased workplace detentions, and the “zero tolerance” policy was created. This policy meant that everyone who crossed the U.S.–Mexico border illegally was criminally charged, including parents with children, which caused mass family separations. These stricter rules made ICE more aggressive, and there were over 250,000 ICE removals in 2018 and 2019 (it was then reduced with Covid in 2020 and with Biden’s election in 2021).
Once Biden was elected in 2021, the number of ICE removals declined sharply, with there being around 60,000 ICE removals, which is significantly less than before. Biden had similar views as Obama; with him prioritizing people who actually posed a national security threat. This resulted in a decrease in arrests.
Trump 2024 Election Changes
After Trump was elected in 2024, he changed quite a bit once again with ICE and immigration enforcement. After he was elected in January 2025, he signed an executive order for ICE protections in “sensitive locations”, such as schools, hospitals, etc. This gave ICE more authority to conduct enforcement actions in those places. He also reinstated and expanded expedited removal, which allows ICE officers to deport people without a full, proper court hearing. This process used to be limited to border areas, but with Trump, ICE can apply it anywhere in the country, resulting in faster deportations. The problem was that many people then don’t have the chance for a court hearing.
Trump also set harsh deportation targets, with their daily arrest target being around 1,000 – 3,000 arrests per day. Because of this, ICE detention centers have filled up rapidly, and the number of deportations has gone up significantly. One other thing which Trump paused was ICE raids in key labor sectors such as agriculture, hospitality, and food production, because he believes that deporting large numbers in those sectors could affect the economy and society, raising prices.
There are smaller rules which Trump added as well, but overall, his immigration strategy has made ICE more powerful and visible. His vision focuses on ICE having speed and aggression with deporting, which some agree helps restore law and order in immigration enforcement, while others say it undermines human rights and is too aggressive.
Current/recent ICE actions
With ICE”s expanded authority, the effects are becoming increasingly visible. For example, in September 2025 there was a goal to target undocumented immigrants in Chicago. Their operation involved street arrests and just arresting anyone without proper documentation, rather than just focusing on people with criminal records. There have also been higher detention numbers. In June 2025, over 50,000 detainees were being held by ICE.
Not only that, but ICE officers have been seen in numerous areas recently. In fact, just recently on November 3rd 2025, ICE officials were seen by several citizens in Redmond, Washington. It was later confirmed by the Redmond Police Department that there was ICE activity and arrests in different locations in Redmond that day, including places Bear Creek Village and Panera Bread. According to king5.com, ICE officials who were arresting people didn’t show a warrant; and they were quite aggressive.
These arrests match ICE’s recent goals, which were to get a higher amount of arrests in different states, which is why they are ramping things up, as seen recently in Redmond.
Conclusion
Overall, with all that’s going on, it’s important that we approach conversations about this with empathy and understanding. Some of our friends, classmates, or neighbors may be directly affected or know someone who is. Instead of spreading fear or rumors, focus on offering support and creating a sense of safety for everyone in our community.
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