ICE operations in New York drive migrant arrests to a record

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 2,197 immigrants across New York state in August, according to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. He announced the figure in New York while describing the campaign as “Operation Rotten Apple.”

Mullin said the arrests took place without help from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani or Governor Kathy Hochul. He praised ICE officers and said the operation had achieved what sanctuary-supporting politicians in New York City and the state refused to do.

“Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of ICE, Operation Rotten Apple achieved what the sanctuary politicians in New York City and New York state refuse to do: make New York state safer,” Mullin said.

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Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of ICE, Operation Rotten Apple achieved what the sanctuary politicians in New York City and New York state refuse to do: make New York state safer.

He added that the Trump administration was committed to protecting the American people and urged state and local politicians to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

ICE operations have expanded nationwide during the summer. The New York arrests formed part of a wider increase that brought preliminary nationwide arrests to 49,000 in July and 50,000 in August, according to figures cited from The New York Times. Although the Trump administration says the raids target criminal migrants, a study cited by the newspaper found that people without criminal records made up the main target group. In July, most detainees faced only civil immigration charges, while those with records for violent crimes accounted for less than 4% of arrests nationwide.

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The Trump administration is committed to protecting the American people and we will not allow sanctuary politicians to stand in our way.