The Voice News : In a historic and controversial move, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more than 2,200 immigrants in a single day on Tuesday—marking the highest number of detentions in the agency’s history. According to an ICE spokesperson and sources familiar with the operation, the mass arrests reflect growing pressure from the White House to significantly ramp up enforcement.
A significant portion of those detained—several hundred individuals—were participants in ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, which monitors undocumented immigrants who are considered not to pose a threat to public safety. Under the ATD program, participants are tracked using ankle monitors, mobile apps, and are required to check in regularly with ICE officers.
However, multiple immigration attorneys report that ICE deployed a new, aggressive tactic: sending mass text messages urging ATD participants to appear early for check-ins—only to arrest them upon arrival.
At a New York City ICE facility, an NBC News reporter observed seven individuals—who had appeared for routine check-ins—being led away in handcuffs into unmarked vehicles. Among them was a 30-year-old Colombian man, trailed by his distraught wife and young daughter. “He attended every single appointment and followed all ICE protocols,” said Margaret Cargioli, a directing attorney at the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, who represents the family. “This was a devastating betrayal of trust.”
Outside the same facility, Veronica Navarrete, waiting for an asylum-seeking friend from Ecuador, said she watched immigrants nervously pacing. “It’s a no-win situation,” she said. “If you go in, they might arrest you. If you don’t, you miss your appointment—and that’s grounds for deportation.”
When asked about the arrests, an ICE spokesperson said all those detained had final orders of removal from an immigration judge and had failed to comply. However, multiple attorneys disputed this, stating their clients had no such final orders. ICE doubled down on its claim but offered no further clarification.
Behind the surge is pressure from White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, who sources say recently threatened to fire top ICE officials unless the agency begins arresting 3,000 immigrants per day. President Donald Trump has publicly vowed to deport “millions,” while his immigration chief Tom Homan promised to target “the worst of the worst.”
But former ICE officials argue that the agency is unrealistically stretching resources, risking due process and public trust in pursuit of numerical targets. ICE has already reassigned over 5,000 federal law enforcement personnel to support the crackdown.
More than 20,000 immigrants are currently monitored under ATD, and according to ICE’s own data, 98.5% of them comply with scheduled check-ins—making them easy targets for mass arrest operations.
“This kind of indiscriminate mass enforcement undercuts the argument that it’s about public safety,” said Atenas Burrola Estrada of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. “These people are being arrested despite following the rules.”
Legal experts warn that the tactic is spreading fear throughout immigrant communities. Greg Chen, senior director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said many clients are now too afraid to attend court or ICE check-ins. “ICE is fostering a climate of intimidation and chaos,” he said.
Jason Houser, former chief of staff at ICE under the Biden administration, criticized the operation as politically driven. “This is bureaucratic theater,” Houser said. “ATD participants are already vetted, compliant, and often in the process of obtaining legal status. This doesn’t make us safer—it just makes headlines.”
While not all arrests result in immediate deportation—particularly for those with pending asylum cases or appeals—advocates say the sweep represents a dangerous shift toward aggressive, high-volume enforcement at the expense of justice and human dignity.