Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations are shifting in several regions across the country as some states experience drawdowns while enforcement continues in major cities.
From Maine to New York, Minnesota, and California, federal agents have carried out large-scale campaigns targeting undocumented migrants and individuals with criminal records, drawing both high-profile arrests and fierce public backlash.
While officials highlight the removal of dangerous offenders, critics point to militarized raids, warrantless arrests, and widespread fear in immigrant neighborhoods. Even as some operations wind down, routine enforcement continues nationwide.
Newsweek has reached out to DHS requesting the latest arrest figures in each major operation.
Operation Catch of the Day
In Maine, a large-scale operation known as Operation Catch of the Day was ended after roughly a week, Sen. Susan Collins said Thursday.
“I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the Administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state,” Collins said in a statement.
The enforcement action lasted from January 21 to 29.
“I do not believe what Kristi Noem says,” Democratic U.S Senate Candidate Graham Platner told press. “But more importantly, it is not enough to just bring operations down in tempo. ICE needs to be out of Maine.”
ICE said in a press release that the operation resulted in more than 200 arrests. While the surge has ended, routine immigration enforcement continues in Maine.
And Tricia McLaughin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told Newsweek: “Some of the arrests of the worst of the worst from the first day of operations include criminal illegal aliens charged and convicted of horrific crimes including aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child. Thanks to ICE, these criminals are now off Americans’ streets.”
ICE Director Patricia Hyde said in a news release: “The early success of this operation displays how effectively ICE officers can operate anywhere and in any environment.”
Operation Metro Surge
In Minnesota, ICE operations remain active and evolving under Operation Metro Surge, a large‑scale immigration enforcement effort launched by DHS on December 1, 2025, initially focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul area before expanding statewide as the operation continued into 2026. The deployment has involved 3,000 federal agents carrying out arrests and other enforcement actions, drawing both legal challenges and public scrutiny.
The surge came under intense scrutiny following the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in January by immigration agents, which sparked widespread protests.
Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino was replaced by White House Border czar Tom Homan after widely criticized public statements in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, including claiming without evidence that Pretti intended to “massacre law enforcement” and echoing administration characterizations of Pretti as a “domestic terrorist.” The comments and aggressive enforcement posture drew backlash, video evidence contradicted key claims, and President Donald Trump sent in Homan to de‑escalate tensions and shift the enforcement strategy.
“Refugees in Minnesota have been living in terror of being hunted down and disappeared to Texas,” Kimberly Grano, Staff Attorney, U.S. Litigation at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said in a press release.
ICE has also issued new guidance instructing officers in Minnesota to avoid interactions with protesters and focus on individuals with criminal charges or convictions, signaling a tactical adjustment rather than a full withdrawal. Homan did say that eventually there would be a withdrawal during a press conference on January 29.
DHS arrested 3,000 migrants without legal status in Minneapolis according to an agency news release on January 19.
Operation Midway Blitz
Operation Midway Blitz was a major immigration enforcement campaign launched by DHS and ICE in the Chicago metropolitan area beginning September 8, 2025, as part of a federal push to target sanctuary cities with elevated enforcement.
DHS told Reuters that ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers had arrested more than 4,200 people in the Chicago area under this campaign as of November 19.
The operation resulted in thousands of arrests across Illinois and surrounding states such as Indiana, with ICE and allied federal agencies detaining immigrants in residential neighborhoods, near schools, and at workplaces.
Critics and civil rights groups filed lawsuits alleging widespread warrantless arrests, excessive force, and violations of constitutional protections, including entering homes with flashbangs, restraining residents, including children, and detaining U.S. citizens, which a federal judge found violated a standing consent decree governing arrests in the Chicago area.
Allegations of militarized tactics, including early‑morning raids, the use of chemical agents against protesters, and aggressive crowd control, drew deep community outrage, legal intervention, and injunctions restricting the use of force.
ICE and U.S. Border Patrol have faced numerous allegations of excessive force, racial profiling, and other misconduct. Advocacy groups and legal complaints argue these practices erode civil rights, fuel fear in immigrant communities, and sometimes involve violent enforcement actions without adequate accountability.
The operation’s leadership, including senior Border Patrol commander Bovino, became a focal point of legal scrutiny and public criticism as lawsuits advanced and judges ordered closer oversight of enforcement practices. Despite DHS framing the effort as targeting violent criminals, court filings and public data showed many detainees had no significant criminal history, prompting intense debate over the legality and impact of the blitz.
Operation Charlotte’s Web
This enforcement action, launched in Charlotte, North Carolina, in mid‑November 2025, deployed federal Border Patrol and ICE agents to target undocumented migrants. As of December, the operation had resulted in approximately 425 arrests, according to DHS. U.S. ICE arrested more than 3,300 people in North Carolina during President Donald Trump’s first nine months in office, according to data from the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project.
Operation At Large
Over the summer, Los Angeles served as the launch point for a series of large-scale ICE and DHS enforcement operations led by Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. The operation, which expanded into multiple cities across California and neighboring states, coincided with widespread public unrest, including protests and sporadic riots, prompting the use of crowd-control measures such as tear gas and other tactical interventions. DHS said ICE and Customs and Border Protection have made 4,163 arrests in the Los Angeles area between June 6 and August 8.
Operation Salvo
Operation Salvo is a New York City-focused enforcement effort that began in July 2025 and was publicly highlighted by the DHS in January 2026 after a federal law enforcement official was shot in Manhattan the previous year. DHS said the operation would target violent transnational gang members.
“The Trump Administration is using every single tool that we have to protect the American people. We are warning anyone if you think you can harm an individual, a citizen of the United States, or a law enforcement officer, we will find you and bring you to justice. If you lay a finger on one of our officers, we will catch you. We will prosecute you and you will feel the full extent of the law,” Secretary Noem said in a press release.
The enforcement action has “resulted in the arrests of 54 people with more to come,” DHS said.
Operation Catahoula Crunch
Operation Catahoula Crunch was a federal immigration enforcement operation launched on December 3, 2025, in the New Orleans, Louisiana, area, involving ICE and Border Patrol agents under the oversight of Bovino. The operation resulted in approximately 370 arrests, Bovino said on X. By early January 2026, federal agents were redeployed to Minnesota, signaling the wind‑down of the operation, though routine actions will continue.
While the scale and focus of high-profile operations may change due to political and public pressures, the agency’s day-to-day enforcement and investigative functions continue nationwide.
The Trump administration’s hard-line federal strategy prioritizes high-profile enforcement in major Democratic cities, targeting both undocumented migrants and those with criminal histories. While DHS frames these operations as removing “dangerous criminals,” many arrests involve people without significant records. After Homan’s deployment to Minnesota, the tone shifted toward a more tactical approach. Despite tactical shifts, ICE enforcement actions are not going anywhere anytime soon.
