Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), outlined an aggressive new approach to immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration.

In a televised interview, Lyons stated that ICE will arrest anyone found to be in the U.S. illegally, including those without criminal records, while also cracking down on companies hiring unauthorized workers.

Lyons emphasized that ICE will prioritize its "limited resources" on deporting individuals with serious criminal histories, whom he described as "the worst of the worst." However, he noted that non-criminals living in the U.S. without authorization will also be detained during operations, particularly in areas with "sanctuary" policies where local law enforcement limits cooperation with ICE. "If ICE encounters someone that is here in the country illegally, we will take them into custody," Lyons said, citing the need to conduct community-based arrests due to restricted access to noncitizen inmates in local jails.

The Biden administration’s policy, which focused ICE efforts on serious criminal offenders, national security threats, and recent border crossers, has been reversed. The Trump administration has set an ambitious goal of 3,000 daily arrests, with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller pushing the initiative. Congress recently allocated tens of billions of dollars to ICE, fueling what Lyons described as a potential to achieve 1 million deportations within a year. In the first six months of President Trump’s second term, ICE deported nearly 150,000 individuals, with around 70,000 having criminal convictions, though many were for immigration or traffic violations, according to internal government data.

Lyons also addressed the resumption of large-scale worksite raids, a practice paused under the Biden administration. Recent operations targeted a meatpacking plant in Nebraska, a horse racetrack in Louisiana, and cannabis farms in Southern California, where over 300 suspected unauthorized workers, including 10 minors, were detained. Despite a brief pause on raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants in June due to industry concerns, Lyons confirmed that worksite enforcement will continue, focusing on employers suspected of exploiting undocumented workers. "We’re focused on these American companies that are actually exploiting these laborers," Lyons said, promising to hold such employers accountable for practices that may involve forced labor or child trafficking.

The expanded enforcement tactics, including agents wearing masks for safety and arrests during court hearings, have sparked backlash in some communities. Lyons defended these measures, stating, "ICE is always focused on the worst of the worst," but noted that the agency has now "opened up the whole aperture of the immigration portfolio" to align with the administration’s broader mandate. (ILKHA)