Illegal immigrant arrests skyrocket under Trump ICE compared to Biden levels last year: ‘Worst of the worst’

EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of illegal immigrants have soared under the Trump administration compared to the same period last year under the Biden administration, with some metrics doubling or even tripling.

According to Department of Homeland Security data, obtained by Fox News Digital, there were 11,791 interior ICE arrests from Jan 20 to Feb 8., compared to 4,969 during the same period in 2024. That’s a 137% increase.

Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year. 

Arrests of fugitive aliens at-large, meanwhile, have gone up from 2,164 to 5,538 — a 156% increase. Arrests of criminal aliens in local jails have gone up 59%.

TRUMP’S ICE LIMITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RELEASES AMID MOVES TO SHAKE OFF BIDEN ‘HANGOVER’ 

Arrests of suspected gang members, including those belonging to the bloodthirsty Tren de Aragua, went from 210 in that period in 2024 to 430 under Trump, a 105% increase.

The data is the latest sign that the Trump administration’s flat-out push to ramp up arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants, including by loosening the cuffs on ICE agents imposed by the prior administration, is having a significant impact.

The administration has said it is trying to target the “worst of the worst,” focusing on criminal illegal immigrants and gang members, but has also stressed that it is not ruling anyone out of contention. 

ICE has been conducting operations throughout the country, including “sanctuary” cities that do not cooperate with federal enforcement. Fox reported last week that the administration is using federal prisons to house illegal immigrants as it looks to provide additional bedspace.

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS 

The administration is using Guantánamo Bay to house up to 30,000 detainees, with multiple flights leaving last week. Meanwhile, the DOJ has announced legal action against New York and Chicago over sanctuary laws in place there.

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Those moves came after a slew of moves in the first days of the administration. President Donald Trump signed orders declaring a national emergency at the border, restarting border wall construction and terminating Biden-era parole policies. The Department of Homeland Security has since removed limits on “sensitive places” placed upon agents by the Biden administration, and has ended Temporary Protected Status for some Venezuelan nationals.

“We have thousands of beds in detention facilities that are open today,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on “Fox News Sunday. “We’ll continue to do ops in the different communities to get these dangerous criminals off of our streets and to get them home.”

Other numbers have suggested policies are having an impact on the border as well. Fox News reported this week that the daily average number of known gotaways — illegal migrants who successfully entered the U.S. without apprehension — at the southern border since the beginning of February has plummeted to just 132 per day, down 93% from the highest numbers when former President Joe Biden was in office.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.