ICE agents told to ramp up daily immigration arrests despite GOP unease as midterms near

Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership has verbally instructed agents nationwide to raise their daily arrest totals by 1,000, according to two sources familiar with the order. That restores a White House target of 3,000 arrests a day, a level the agency has struggled to reach. Recent daily averages were about 2,000. Agents were also told to aim for 19,000 arrests weekly, a figure that allows for thinner weekend staffing. For comparison, the Deportation Data project counted just over 12,500 arrests in one week in late June, a peak, according to CNN.

The push comes as the midterm elections near and some Republicans question who is being detained, particularly undocumented immigrants without criminal records. Representative Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, whose district has many Hispanic voters, split with President Donald Trump in a campaign ad, and agricultural businesses complained that enforcement surges disrupted their work. A Homeland Security spokesperson said there are no arrest quotas. Secretary Markwayne Mullin has likewise said he never discussed quotas with the White House.

ICE has also sought contractors to build temporary processing and holding space, and it tightened rules for vehicle stops after several shootings. Officers now need training and must use vehicles with lights and sirens.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →