U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested more than 10,000 individuals in the last five days, marking a significant surge in enforcement operations as the agency responds to a recent Supreme Court decision upholding birthright citizenship. The figures, obtained by Fox News Digital from a Department of Homeland Security source, come as the Trump administration faces a major legal setback in its efforts to restrict immigration policy.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, affirming that most children born in the United States automatically become citizens, even if their parents are in the country illegally. The court cited the Fourteenth Amendment, stating that children born in the U.S. to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and are citizens at birth under the Citizenship Clause.
Trump responded by urging Congress to amend the Constitution to abolish birthright citizenship. In a post on Truth Social, he wrote, “No long and unwieldy Constitutional Amendment is necessary! Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship. They will have my Complete and Total Support!”
ICE is ramping up its operations using funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill, a legislative package nearing its one-year anniversary, according to a source familiar with the agency’s activities. The enforcement push has already led to thousands of arrests, with a focus on individuals who have been charged or convicted of crimes.
DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that the majority of those arrested are illegal migrants with criminal backgrounds. “Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists,” Bis said. She added that nearly 70% of ICE arrests involve illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S., and that more than 3 million illegal aliens have been removed from the country.
The surge in enforcement has not gone unnoticed by activists. Protests have erupted across the country, with demonstrators demanding better conditions for detainees in federal facilities and calling for reforms to ICE protocols. In late May, a violent clash occurred at the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey, where agitators confronted ICE agents and local law enforcement. The FBI later arrested a protester who threatened to kill an ICE officer’s family during the protest.
A Fox News Digital investigation revealed that the protests outside Delaney Hall were not spontaneous but rather the result of years of coordinated planning by a network of well-funded groups. The network includes about 100 organizations, such as the ACLU, Indivisible, and the Democratic Socialists of America, which together report collective annual revenues of approximately $825 million, roughly equal to the annual budget of Newark.
Despite the organized resistance, ICE operations have continued unabated. Bis emphasized the agency’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws, stating, “Our message is clear: if you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling on birthright citizenship has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over immigration policy. Trump’s push for a constitutional amendment faces significant hurdles, as any change would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. The decision has also galvanized both supporters and opponents of stricter immigration enforcement, setting the stage for continued legal and political battles.
