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President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is on schedule to set arrest records for a second consecutive month, describing the agency’s current enforcement push as “deportation-maxxing” as the administration expands its immigration crackdown.
Speaking in an interview with NewsNation on Wednesday, Homan said ICE recorded the highest monthly arrest totals in the agency’s history in June and that July’s pace is running even higher.
“In June, we had the highest numbers of arrests in the history of the agency of ICE and July’s tracking even beat that. So we’re hitting all cylinders now,” Homan told the outlet.
‘We Just Got to Keep Going’
“We’re deportation-maxxing. Since we’re fully funded, we just got to keep going. I know that this administration was put under enormous pressure as a result of the previous administration letting in tens of millions of people … we had no idea who they were,” he added.
“Maxxing” is internet slang meaning to maximize something to the greatest extent possible. The term gained popularity online through phrases such as “looksmaxxing,” referring to maximizing one’s physical appearance.
The White House Border Czar also said the administration had faced challenges from more than 100 court injunctions affecting immigration arrests, detention and removals.
The Trump administration faces growing scrutiny over ICE enforcement tactics under its mass deportation campaign. Civil liberties advocates, immigration attorneys and some lawmakers have criticized the agency over a series of fatal encounters during enforcement operations.
What The Data Shows
Newly released ICE detention statistics show an increase in immigration enforcement activity. The agency published updated detention data this week after a three-month gap in public reporting, showing arrests and detention levels continuing to rise.
ICE was holding 65,765 people in detention as of July 11, up from about 60,300 in early April and approaching the record level of more than 70,700 detainees reported earlier this year, per the data.
Arrests averaged roughly 1,474 per day during the first 11 days of July, exceeding June’s average of more than 1,300 daily arrests and marking the highest pace of the current Trump administration, according to an analysis by Syracuse University researcher Austin Kocher.
The same data show approximately 1,246 removals per day between April and July, while the detained population has continued to grow. Researchers analyzing the figures noted that people with no criminal history represent the largest single group currently held in ICE detention.
The share of detainees held solely on immigration violations has increased since April, while the proportion with criminal charges or convictions has declined. Immigration judges have also ordered thousands of detainees released since January, including more than 2,000 releases in May alone.
ICE Expands Body Camera Use After Fatal Shootings
The surge in ICE enforcement has drawn renewed scrutiny following two fatal shootings during traffic stop operations this month. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was shot and killed in Houston on July 7, while Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, 26, was killed during an ICE stop in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13. Neither encounter was captured by an activated body camera, prompting calls from lawmakers and advocates for increased use of the devices.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has said that the agency will require at least one ICE officer involved in future traffic stop operations to wear a body camera, and that the agency has already purchased the devices and begun training officers on their use. The rollout is expected to occur as ICE continues to increase enforcement activity nationwide.
“I am a big proponent of bodycams. Always have been. They exonerate officers. But also I want the public to see what that officer sees when they take some action. The American people will see exactly what he sees in real time,” Homan told NewsNation.
The new requirements follow a brief nationwide pause on most ICE vehicle stops after the two fatal shootings. President Donald Trump directed the agency to resume the operations within a day, while DHS simultaneously announced changes to body camera requirements.
ICE has gradually expanded the use of body-worn cameras over the past several years. A 2022 executive order signed by then-President Joe Biden directed federal law enforcement agencies to increase their use of the devices as part of broader accountability and transparency efforts.
The agency began issuing cameras to some officers in 2024, although a wider rollout slowed after the start of the Trump administration amid budget constraints. An internal ICE memo issued in February 2025 described body cameras as a useful operational tool.
Pressure for deployment grew following a slate of high-profile immigration shootings in Minneapolis during a major immigration enforcement operation. In response, Homeland Security leaders announced plans to expand body camera use across ICE operations, though a nationwide rollout remained incomplete.
Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in early 2026 that DHS would move to “rapidly acquire and deploy” body cameras for officers nationwide as funding became available.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.
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