Miller, Noem Call For ICE To Ramp Up Immigration Enforcement

Melanie Wilcox | Daily Caller News Foundation | May 28, 2025

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently directed immigration officials to increase interior enforcement efforts, according to Axios.

The new target 3,000 arrests per day would triple the average number of daily arrests from the early months of President Donald Trump’s term, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with a meeting that recently happened at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters. (RELATED: ‘Not A Free Speech Issue’: Immigration Experts Have Bad News For Liberals Opposed To Deporting Pro-Hamas Foreigners)

Miller, a key architect of Trump’s immigration agenda, pressed ICE field office directors and special agents in charge to ramp up operations, according to four sources familiar with the May 21 meeting, Axios reported. Miller reportedly emphasized reversing what he described as lax enforcement during the Biden administration.

Noem also advocated for increased arrests, meeting attendees told Axios. Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign aide now serving as a special government employee, was also present and addressed officials during the meeting.

Following the directive, some ICE officials left the meeting concerned about job security if they failed to meet the newly proposed benchmarks, two sources told Axios.

Illegal border crossings have dropped during Trump’s first months back in office, as the administration appears to be shifting focus to interior enforcement across U.S. cities and communities.

To support the expanded enforcement initiative, Congress recently passed a bill backed by Trump that allocates $147 billion over the next decade to immigration enforcement. ICE has also posted requests for additional staff, bed space, and logistical support, and is signing agreements to expand detention capacity at existing facilities.

Efforts to add more detention space have already sparked protests, including in New Jersey, where the arrest of Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver during a protest drew national attention.

Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have pledged to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history, with a stated goal of one million deportations annually. The reported ICE meeting May 21 indicates that senior officials are preparing to execute that plan.