Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests across the country dropped by an average of nearly 12% in the weeks following the killings of two American citizens by immigration officers in Minneapolis, according to data analyzed by The Associated Press. The decline came after the Trump administration ousted top Homeland Security officials and scaled back enforcement tactics that had drawn widespread criticism.
At the peak of the crackdown late last year, ICE agents were making nearly 40,000 arrests per month nationwide. In late January, the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti—two American citizens killed by immigration officers in Minneapolis—sparked a political firestorm that led to the dismissal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in early March. Border czar Tom Homan was sent to the Twin Cities to chart a new course for enforcement, announcing a drawdown of agents on Feb. 4.
What the Right Is Saying
Trump administration officials maintained throughout the period that immigration enforcement remained aggressive, with the president insisting his team was targeting 'the worst of the worst' criminals living illegally in the United States.
White House press officials emphasized that arrest numbers—while lower than their January peak—remained significantly higher than during most of President Trump's second term and dramatically above levels seen under the Biden administration. Officials characterized the shift as tactical recalibration rather than retreat.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a frequent ally of the administration's hardline immigration stance, said his state would continue its own aggressive enforcement operations regardless of federal trends. Florida also saw arrest numbers rise during this period, bucking the national decline.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats and immigration advocates pointed to the Minneapolis killings as evidence that the administration's enforcement tactics had crossed a line. The incidents triggered not only a leadership shake-up but also polling showing nearly two-thirds of Americans felt ICE had gone too far in its Minnesota crackdown.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said the administration was forced to reckon with what she called 'the human cost of an approach that abandoned basic decency.' Rep. Ilhan Omar, also of Minnesota, argued the drop in arrests demonstrated that mass enforcement operations were 'a choice, not a necessity.'
The American Immigration Council's senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick noted signs of change but cautioned against declaring victory. 'The Trump administration says: "We're not slowing down," "Nothing has changed,"' he said. 'But it's very clear that they have pulled back from some of the tactics of Operation Metro Surge.'
What the Numbers Show
An AP analysis of ICE arrest records shows the department averaged 7,369 weekly arrests nationwide in the five weeks after Homan's Feb. 4 drawdown announcement, down from 8,347 per week in the previous five weeks—a drop of approximately 11.7%.
The trends were not uniform across states. Weekly arrests more than doubled in Kentucky, reaching 86 by early March. Arrests also rose significantly in Indiana, North Carolina and Florida. Those increases were offset by steep drops in Minnesota and Texas.
Criminal history data complicates the administration's characterization of its targets. Some 46% of people ICE arrested in the five weeks before Feb. 4 had no criminal charges or convictions. That share dropped to 41% in the five weeks following—but remained above the 35% weekly average for the period since Trump returned to office.
The Bottom Line
The Minneapolis killings appear to have marked a turning point in the administration's immigration enforcement strategy, prompting both leadership changes and measurable reductions in arrest activity. However, enforcement levels remain historically high compared to previous administrations, and some states are seeing opposite trends from the national decline.
What happens next will likely depend on whether courts rule on challenges to the administration's use of certain enforcement tactics, and whether polling continues to show public discomfort with aggressive operations. The White House has signaled it views recent adjustments as temporary tactical shifts rather than policy reversals.