ICE sought contractors for holding space, citing an ‘exceptionally high operational tempo with increased arrests,’ amid a reported 3,000-a-day goal

Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders have reportedly told agents nationwide to make 1,000 more arrests a day, according to CNN. The outlet states that two people who know of the oral directive said it was issued on Tuesday. They said it brings the agency back to an earlier target of 3,000 arrests daily.

The report says ICE had lately been apprehending about 2,000 people daily, a pace officials hoped to hold. Agents were also reportedly told to try for 19,000 arrests a week, a number that allows for quieter weekends with fewer agents on the street, one source said. That source added that agency leaders are urging officers to make as many deportation-related arrests as they can. The outlet notes that ICE has struggled to reach 3,000 a day in the past.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the outlet there are “NO quotas on arrests.” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told CNN’s “Inside Politics” last month, “I have never talked to anybody at the White House about any quota.” Senior administration officials have denied that agents must meet quotas, calling the push a goal, and say agents are not punished for missing it.

What the contract notices say about holding space

A recent ICE solicitation for more room to hold people at its offices reportedly points to an “exceptionally high operational tempo with increased arrests.” A notice from last month, which CNN reviewed, reportedly invites contractors to construct three kinds of temporary structures. They are meant for field detention, for processing and interviews, and for remote immigration court hearings.

The notice calls temporary infrastructure “urgently needed” to expand secure processing and holding capacity. DHS said it has “no new facility plans to announce at this time.” The 3,000 figure has appeared before. Bloomberg Government reported in May 2025 that officials were told to “ramp up arrests to 3,000 per day,” with a goal of more than 1 million a year. That report relied on a single anonymous source.

Federal statutes set out how immigration arrests work. Under 8 U.S.C. 1226, “on a warrant issued by the Attorney General, an alien may be arrested and detained pending a decision” on removal. The law lets the government release a person on a bond of at least $1,500. It also directs the government to take certain people into custody, including those who are inadmissible or deportable on specified criminal grounds.

A 2025 amendment added a category for people charged with or arrested for certain offenses, such as burglary or theft. 8 U.S.C. 1357 also lets an immigration officer arrest someone without a warrant in certain cases, including when the officer has “reason to believe” the person is in the country in violation of immigration law and is “likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.” The person must then be taken “without unnecessary delay” for examination before an officer.

CNN also reviewed internal ICE guidance on vehicle stops. It reportedly says officers may make vehicle stops only after finishing related training, and that vehicles used must have lights and sirens. A senior ICE official told the outlet the memo amended earlier guidance, while an ICE spokesperson said it “makes no changes to how ICE conducts vehicle stops.”

Immigration enforcement has also reached local politics, including the Los Angeles mayoral race, where candidates have discussed how police respond to ICE operations.