ICE Surge Delivers on America First Promise

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America’s immigration laws are being enforced again. In a single five-day stretch at the end of June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 10,000 people, roughly doubling the pace seen earlier in the year. For a country that spent years watching its borders overwhelmed, it is a dramatic shift.

The surge is part of President Donald Trump’s promise to put American citizens first and restore the rule of law. After years of open borders and broken enforcement, the federal government is once again doing the job it was funded to do. The early results are historic.

A Surge in Enforcement

The numbers tell the story. Federal officials detained more than 10,000 people in five days, with arrests peaking above 2,400 in a single day. The agency’s detention centers now hold more than 63,000 people, a sharp jump from recent months.

The focus, officials say, is on dangerous criminals. The Department of Homeland Security reports that roughly 70 percent of those arrested this year had either been convicted of a crime or were facing criminal charges. DHS put its message plainly: “we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.”

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says the effort is only accelerating. In a recent interview, he said deportations are way up and that the department is on pace to surpass all of 2025 within weeks. His stated priority is the “worst of the worst,” including those with felony records and final orders of removal.

A Historic Turnaround

The scale of the change is best captured by one striking statistic. The White House reports that the United States saw negative net migration in 2025, meaning more people left the country than entered it, for the first time in at least half a century.

That reversal did not happen by accident. The administration credits a combination of stepped-up removals and self-deportations, along with tighter visa rules. It stands in sharp contrast to the previous four years, when millions crossed the southern border and were released into the interior with little more than a promise to appear in court.

The scale of that earlier crisis is hard to overstate. Congressional investigators documented more than 10 million encounters at the border since 2021, along with roughly two million “gotaways” who were never even processed. A huge share of those released into the country simply ignored their court dates and disappeared, confident that little would be done. That is the broken system the current effort is working to reverse.

For supporters, the lesson is clear. When a nation actually enforces its laws, the incentives change, and the flood slows to a trickle.

Safer Communities

The strongest argument for enforcement is public safety. In Denver, a former sanctuary city, homicides dropped nearly 60 percent in 2025 as ICE removed criminal illegal immigrants, one of the steepest declines in the nation.

Stories like Laken Riley’s are why so many Americans support this shift. The Laken Riley Act, passed after the young nursing student was murdered by an illegal immigrant who had a prior arrest, now requires the detention of illegal aliens charged with crimes like theft and assault. The goal is simple: keep dangerous offenders off our streets.

The administration has also moved to remove security threats, including foreign students whose visas were revoked over ties to crime or terror-linked activity. Together, these efforts reflect a government finally treating the safety of its own citizens as the priority.

These are not abstract statistics. Behind each removed offender is a community spared another victim, a family that never has to bury a loved one, and a neighborhood where children can play a little more safely. That is the human case for enforcement, and it is why the issue resonates far beyond politics.

Not Without Controversy

The campaign has not been free of friction. Critics warn that the rapid pace of arrests has spread fear in immigrant communities, and some point to families with no criminal record being swept up alongside hardened offenders.

The effort has also seen tragedy. A monthlong operation in Minnesota drew fierce political backlash after federal officers killed two U.S. citizens, cases that remain under investigation. In response, Secretary Mullin shifted toward quieter, more targeted removals rather than large, high-profile raids.

Supporters argue that is the right correction. Competent enforcement, they say, does not require dramatic sweeps, only consistency and a clear focus on those who have proven they are a danger to the public.

The Bigger Picture

Behind the numbers lies a simple principle. A nation that does not control its borders is not truly a nation, and a government that refuses to enforce its own laws invites lawlessness. For years, America drifted away from that truth. Now it is finding its way back.

For people of faith, this is not about hostility toward the stranger. Scripture calls us to compassion for the sojourner, yet it also affirms the God-given duty of nations to protect their people and uphold justice. We can welcome the immigrant who comes lawfully while insisting that our laws still mean something.

The work is far from finished, and honest debate about how to carry it out will continue. But after years of chaos at the border, the direction has clearly changed. The question for citizens now is whether they will stay engaged and hold their leaders to the promise of a secure, lawful, and safe America. That is a promise worth keeping.

As believers, we are called to pray for our leaders and our nation. Pray for wisdom for those making these decisions, and for safety and dignity for all people affected by them.

That’s where we come in.

Prayer is at the heart of how Million Voices connects faith with civic life. Our Prayer Guide: Pray for Our Government Officials By Name is a free resource designed to help individuals, families, and small groups lift up the men and women who serve in public office—across every level of government and regardless of party.

Rooted in the scriptural call to pray “for kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1–2), the guide offers a thoughtful framework for interceding on behalf of our leaders: for wisdom in their decisions, integrity in their conduct, protection for them and their families, and a heart for serving the common good.

Whether you’re looking to deepen your personal prayer life or to gather others in praying for our nation, this guide is a meaningful place to start. Download it here: https://millionvoices.org/mv-prayer-guide-pray-for-government-officials/

We also offer an opportunity to connect faith with action. Through our Write Now Campaign, volunteers send letters to low-propensity voters in key areas, helping inspire them to engage and make their voices heard.

Ready to take the next step? Learn more or sign up to get involved: https://millionvoices.org/volunteer/

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