ICE Arrests Surge to 1,100 a Day, Concentrated in Miami, Texas and Southern Field Offices

Using newly released internal figures, The New York Times reports that ICE is averaging more than 1,100 arrests a day nationwide so far in 2026—nearly double last spring’s pace—with enforcement unevenly distributed across the agency’s 25 field offices. From Dec. 19, 2025 through March 10, 2026, the Miami field office led the country with nearly 10,000 arrests, followed by high volumes in Dallas, Atlanta and San Antonio, while the St. Paul office—home to the high‑profile Minnesota operation in which two U.S. citizens were killed—logged more than 5,000 arrests but still ranked behind those southern regions. The data show striking per‑capita differences: border‑zone offices such as Harlingen, Texas are making more than 5,300 arrests per month, while some big‑city offices like Los Angeles and Chicago, which saw aggressive sweeps last year, have experienced arrest declines of roughly 25–37% in early 2026. Many areas with “sanctuary” policies show flat or only modestly higher arrest rates, suggesting local cooperation practices are not the sole driver of federal enforcement trends. The geographic pattern undercuts some political talking points about where ICE is concentrating its efforts and gives immigrant communities and local officials their clearest picture yet of how the Trump administration’s enforcement priorities are playing out on the ground.