A new analysis conducted by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs’ Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK) reveals a sharp escalation in immigration enforcement for the first six months of President Trump’s second administration, targeting Latino communities at unprecedented levels. The report was produced in partnership with Unseen, a new initiative dedicated to illuminating the contributions and challenges of unseen Americans through data analysis and community engagement.
The analysis finds that Latinos accounted for nine out of ten Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests during the first six months of 2025. Arrests nearly doubled during Trump’s first 100 days in office and rose even further after senior advisor Stephen Miller announced a daily target of 3,000 arrests. The dataset used in the report comes from UC Berkeley School of Law’s Deportation Data Project.
“The data reveal a clear and troubling pattern,” said Paul Ong, Director of CNK. “Arrests in Latino communities have increased sharply without any evidence linking many of these arrests to higher crime levels. This indicates that ICE operations during Trump’s second term are largely driven by political and demographic targeting rather than just targeting the ‘worst of the worst’.”
Key findings include:
- Trump’s first hundred days had an average of 558 Latino arrests per day compared with 276 during the pre-Trump period (January 1, 2024 to January 19, 2025). Arrests were heavily concentrated among individuals from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Venezuela, which experienced the most dramatic increase, with a 361% rise in arrests.
- Community-based enforcement surged under Trump, growing by 255%, a departure from previous administrations, which focused on deporting incarcerated individuals at the federal, state, and local levels.
- Enforcement increases were greatest in Texas, Florida, California, Georgia and Virginia
“This research reveals a clear shift toward more expansive, militarized and punitive immigration enforcement.” said Sonja Diaz, Founding Director of the Unseen Initiative. “The preponderance of community-based arrests under the Trump Administration combined with the doubling and even tripling of arrests of people of Mexican, Honduran, and Guatemalan descent undermines public trust in law enforcement and jeopardizes public safety for communities across the U.S., not just immigrant enclaves. ”
The complete report, including methodology, is available here.
About the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge The UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge conducts rigorous research on urban inequality, housing, immigration, and demographic change to inform policy and promote social justice.
About Unseen Unseen is a research and advocacy initiative dedicated to making visible the contributions and challenges of Americans hidden in plain sight through data-driven analysis and community engagement.
