ICE Arrests Fall 12% After Minneapolis Killings

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests nationwide fell nearly 12 percent in the weeks following the late January killings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, according to an analysis of agency records.

The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti prompted a leadership shakeup in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts. Top Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who had overseen aggressive operations, was removed from his role. White House border adviser Tom Homan was dispatched to Minnesota, where he announced on February 4 a drawdown of agents in the state amid public concerns over tactics.

Arrests peaked at nearly 40,000 nationwide in December before remaining nearly as high the following month, data provided to UC Berkeley's Deportation Data Project show. In the five weeks before Homan's announcement, ICE averaged 8,347 arrests per week. That figure dropped to 7,369 per week in the subsequent five weeks, the most recent period available. The numbers remained higher than much of President Trump's second term and far above Biden administration levels.

The decline was uneven. Arrests rose sharply in Kentucky, Indiana, North...