ICE Leadership Verbally Directs Agents to Raise Arrests by 1,000 a Day, Back to a 3,000 Daily Goal, Two Sources Tell CNN

ICE leadership told agents nationwide on Tuesday to increase immigration arrests by 1,000 more people daily, returning to a previous goal of 3,000 daily arrests, according to two sources familiar with the verbal directive (CNN). ICE had recently been taking around 2,000 people into custody daily on average. Agents were also instructed to try to reach 19,000 arrests per week, which accounts for fewer arrests over the weekend and not as many officers in the field, one of the sources said. The Daily Beast reports that, if met, the new goal would be the highest weekly arrest total ICE has made under the Trump administration.

In August, ICE took around 51,000 people into custody, setting a new monthly high for the administration (CNN). A Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN there are “NO quotas on arrests.” The reporting rests on two sources familiar with a verbal directive. Related entries: 2026-09-27–ice-verbal-order-stop-non-criminal-arrests-reversed-white-house-official-confirms and 2026-08-02–ice-july-2026-record-46000-detentions-24-custody-deaths.