ICE Detentions Hit 50,000 Monthly as Border Crossings Dry Up

Immigration enforcement has shifted from the border to interior operations, with federal spending on barriers and detention capacity rising as crossings into Texas fell sharply.

Under President Joe Biden, migrant encounters at the southern border exceeded 4.5 million in 2023 and 2024 combined. After Donald Trump returned to office, monthly figures dropped. The administration suspended border asylum applications, ended catch and release, deployed troops to the area, and pressed Mexico to limit northbound movement. A BBC visit to El Paso in November 2025 found vacant streets where migrant camps had previously stood. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on 16 October that "strong enforcement works."

Wall funding arrived through the "One Big Beautiful" spending bill, which allocated $46.5 billion. Before Trump's return, government data showed about 644 miles of primary wall and 75 miles of secondary wall. Since then, 250 miles of barriers and detection systems have been finished, with 1,443 miles under construction. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council said crossings have not shifted since new construction began in earnest and attributed the decline to administration policy and messaging. At a Kentucky rally on 17 October, Trump called himself "the King of the Wall" and repeated his claim that Mexico paid for it.

Interior enforcement expanded over the summer. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests and detentions reached nearly 50,000 in July, a record according to the Deportation Data Project. The same data shows 27% of those held that month had criminal convictions, an all-time low. ICE removals averaged 1,255 per day by mid-July, against about 770 per day in Biden's final months.

Public opinion has moved with the enforcement buildup. Operation Metro Surge, a two-month enforcement action in Minneapolis in early 2026, left two US citizens dead. A New York Times and Siena poll released 21 October showed 50% of voters trust Democrats on immigration against 46% for Republicans. A Politico and Public First poll in late September found 31% of non-MAGA Republicans consider the campaign too aggressive.

Refugee admissions have contracted at the same time. Trump suspended the program after taking office, then reopened it in February for Afrikaners from South Africa. The fiscal 2026 cap began at 7,500 and rose to 17,500 in May. State Department data lists 16,292 admissions this fiscal year, with 16,287 from South Africa. Fiscal 2023 admitted about 60,000 refugees and fiscal 2024 about 100,000. The Supreme Court upheld in June the termination of Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians.

Visa rules have tightened as well. Dozens of countries labeled security risks face full or partial travel freezes, and enhanced vetting has slowed green card processing. A $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas introduced in September 2025 was blocked by a court, but registrations for 2027 fell 40% according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. A Wharton School study found the changes would have "no significant impact" on wages for US-born workers.

One channel remains open to applicants who can pay. The Trump Gold Card, launched in 2025, grants residency for a $1 million gift to the government plus a $15,000 application fee that is not refundable. By April, one applicant had been accepted.

The midterm elections approach as voters weigh these changes, and the next scheduled step in enforcement and admissions policy rests with the administration and the courts.