50,000 ICE Detentions and New Border Walls

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained nearly 50,000 people in July, according to the Deportation Data Project. That number represents a record high for monthly detentions under the current administration. By mid-July, ICE was removing an average of 1,255 people per day. In the final months of the previous administration, that figure stood at about 770 per day.

The surge in internal enforcement follows changes at the southern border. Under the previous administration, more than 4.5 million migrant encounters were recorded in 2023 and 2024 combined. After the current president returned to office, those numbers dropped sharply. The administration froze asylum applications at the border and ended the practice of catching and releasing migrants. Troops were deployed to the area, and Mexico was pressed to curb northbound migration.

Wall construction has also accelerated. Government figures show that about 644 miles of primary wall and 75 miles of secondary wall existed before the president returned to office. Since then, the administration completed 250 more miles of barriers and detection technology. An additional 1,443 miles are currently under construction. This work is funded by $46.5 billion in new money from the One Big Beautiful spending bill.

Markwayne Mullin, the Homeland Security Secretary, stated on October 16 that strong enforcement works. At a rally in Kentucky on October 17, the president called himself the King of the Wall. He also repeated the claim that Mexico pays for the structure. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council noted that the drop in crossings is due to policy and messaging rather than the new construction.

Inside the country, the makeup of detainees has shifted. The Deportation Data Project reports that a large share of those held have no criminal convictions. Detentions of immigrants with criminal histories hit an all-time low of 27 percent in July. These tactics have unsettled some Americans, including those who generally support stricter limits. This sentiment became clearer after Operation Metro Surge, a two-month enforcement action in Minneapolis in early 2026, left two US citizens dead.

Public opinion on the issue has moved. A New York Times and Siena poll released on October 21 found that 50 percent of voters trust Democrats on immigration, compared with 46 percent for Republicans. A separate Politico and Public First poll in late September found that 31 percent of non-MAGA Republicans believe the campaign has become too aggressive. These findings suggest the issue remains high on voters' minds as midterm elections approach.

Refugee admissions have also fallen. The president suspended refugee admissions soon after taking office. In February, the process narrowly reopened for Afrikaners from South Africa, a group the White House says is persecuted. The cap for fiscal year 2026 was set at 7,500 and later raised to 17,500 in May. State Department data shows 16,292 refugees admitted so far, of whom 16,287 were South African. By comparison, about 60,000 arrived in fiscal 2023 and 100,000 in 2024.

Legal routes for entry have narrowed as well. Dozens of countries face full or partial visa and travel freezes. A $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas was introduced in September 2025. Registrations for 2027 fell 40 percent according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. A court has blocked the fee for now, but the threat appears to have deterred employers. One new route has opened for wealthy individuals. The Trump Gold Card, launched in 2025, offers residency in exchange for a $1 million gift to the government plus a $15,000 application fee. By April, only one applicant had been accepted.

The next major milestone is the completion of the remaining 1,443 miles of border barriers under construction. The administration is also scheduled to review the status of Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of people. In June, the Supreme Court upheld the decision to end the status for about 350,000 Haitians.