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NYC's ICE office is arresting more immigrants, but deporting fewer
By
Joe Hong
Published Apr 7, 2026
Modified Apr 8, 2026
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By
Joe Hong
Published Apr 7, 2026
Modified Apr 8, 2026
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Federal immigration agents based in the New York City field office arrested three times as many people in early 2026 compared to the same time period in 2025, according to new data from the Department of Homeland Security.
The data contains nuances and paints a complicated picture of President Donald Trump's effort to target undocumented immigrants. For instance, fewer of the 2026 arrests resulted in deportation. Immigrants have also been detained for shorter periods of time. The average detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lasted eight days in the first eight weeks of 2026, compared to 48 days during the first eight weeks of 2025.
These numbers are based on a Gothamist analysis of ICE data published last month by The Deportation Data Project, a team of immigration experts and attorneys who acquired the data through a public records request. The newly released trove contains data on arrests and detentions through March 11, 2026, and reveals new insights on how federal enforcement is affecting New York City’s immigrant communities.
Here are the top takeaways:
Deportations skyrocketed once Trump entered office
Gothamist's analysis of this data isolated ICE arrests and detentions by date. For ICE activity during the second Trump administration, we looked at the data on or after Jan. 20, 2025, when Trump was sworn in for his second term. The data from the Deportation Data Project contains entries through March 11, 2026.
Gothamist looked at the data from Jan. 20, 2023 to March 11, 2024 to compare trends during the Biden administration, while accounting for seasonal changes.
In New York City, the most striking data point is the difference in deportation rates. There was a similar number of arrests during these 14-month periods of the Biden and second Trump presidencies (9,376 vs. 9,619). But under Biden, 1,279 arrests resulted in deportations compared to 6,214 under Trump. That’s a deportation rate of 14% compared to 65%.
Lenni Benson, a professor at New York Law School, said that, under the current administration, ICE has more resources and the ability to expedite some of these deportations. During Biden’s presidency, she said, undocumented immigrants had more time to appeal any deportation orders.
It was not a major priority for the Biden administration to deport immigrants who hadn’t committed a crime and who were long-time U.S. residents, Benson said. That changed under Trump.
“As I understand it, Stephen Miller and others said, ‘Nope, everybody’s a priority,’” Benson said, referring to the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, broadly considered the architect of Trump's immigration agenda. “So they’re arresting people at ICE check-ins, and they’re arresting people in sweeps.”
ICE arrested more people in New York, but deported fewer
So far this year, arrests are higher compared to prior years, but deportations have decreased.
Joe Hong/Gothamist
According to the data, in the first quarter of 2025 ICE arrested 462 immigrants in the New York City Area of Responsibility. This area includes all five boroughs, Long Island and parts of the Hudson River Valley. In the first eight weeks of 2026, ICE arrested more than 1,200 people in the region. But far fewer of those arrests resulted in deportation.
Among the 2026 arrests, 195 resulted in deportation, whereas 342 arrestees were deported in the same time period of 2025. That’s a 16% deportation rate in 2026 compared to a 74% deportation rate in 2025.
Amy Belsher, a supervising attorney for the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the increase in arrests indicates an “arrest first, ask questions later” approach to immigration enforcement. She said immigrants are being taken into custody unlawfully in high volumes, and judges are quickly realizing that there are no grounds for deportation.
“The vast majority of people they are arresting are completely unjustified arrests,” she said. “And if people can find an attorney, they are getting released.”
Fewer minors were arrested, but more were deported
Comparing those same 14-month periods, ICE arrested far fewer minors in the New York City region during the second Trump administration.
Between January 2023 and March 2024, ICE arrested 2,867 minors. Agents arrested 466 during the first 14 months of the Trump administration, an 84% decrease.
But more deportations resulted from these arrests, 196 during the second Trump administration and 187 while Biden was in office. The rise in deportation despite the dramatic drop in youth arrests stumped both Belsher and Benson.
The lengths of detentions skyrocketed under Trump, but they appear to be getting shorter
Across the nation and in New York City, the average length of detention in an ICE facility has been about four times longer under Trump than under Biden. The average detention period has increased exponentially for minors who have been arrested by ICE. Not all immigrants detained by ICE are deported by the federal government. Some are released while others choose to return to their home countries.
According to the data, the average detention for a minor lasted about three hours between January 2023 and March 2024. But during the first 14 months of the Trump administration, the average minor detainee has spent six-and-a-half days in ICE detention.
Sierra Kraft, the executive director of Immigrant Children Advocates' Relief Effort, said she’s noticed an escalated effort to arrest more minors during traffic stops and workplace raids.
“There's definitely a lot more enforcement and involvement of youth becoming targets of this administration for sure,” she said.
This story has been updated.
Tagged
immigration
new york city
public safety
Joe Hong
Joe Hong is the investigative data reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered K-12 education for several newsrooms across California. His reporting has led to local reforms in juvenile justice system as well as a state law requiring universal screening for dyslexia. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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