Donald Trump plans a major 2026 immigration crackdown with billions in funding, more ICE agents, detention centres and stepped-up raids. Photos: X.
President Donald Trump, in 2026, is preparing to significantly intensify his immigration enforcement agenda, backed by billions of dollars in new funding, expanded detention capacity, and stepped-up workplace raids. The push comes as Trump faces declining approval ratings and mounting political backlash ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Earlier this year, the administration deployed additional immigration agents to major US cities, carrying out high-profile enforcement operations that at times led to confrontations with local residents.
According to Reuters, quoting officials, the White House now plans to scale up these efforts substantially.
Trump administration officials have said that beginning in 2026, the government plans to hire thousands of additional immigration enforcement officers, open new detention facilities, and increase arrests of immigrants held in local jails.
Under a sweeping spending package passed in July this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Border Patrol are set to receive an additional $170 billion in funding through September 2029.
The expanded funding is expected to support both staffing increases and detention infrastructure.
Despite the administration’s repeated public emphasis on targeting criminals, government data shows a growing share of those arrested by ICE have no criminal record beyond alleged immigration violations.
By late November, 41% of the roughly 54,000 people arrested and detained by ICE had no criminal history other than suspected immigration offences, agency figures show. By contrast, in the first few weeks of January, before Trump took office, only 6% of those arrested and detained by ICE were not facing other criminal charges or prior convictions.
Alongside the expansion of enforcement operations, the Trump administration has revoked temporary legal status for thousands of immigrants from Haiti, Venezuela, and Afghanistan, increasing the pool of individuals eligible for deportation.
The administration has pledged to deport 1 million immigrants annually. Since Trump took office in January, approximately 622,000 immigrants have been removed, according to the Reuters report.
White House border czar Tom Homan said the president had already delivered on his promise of a historic deportation drive and indicated that enforcement numbers would rise sharply in the coming year.
“I think you’re going to see the numbers explode greatly next year,” Homan told Reuters. He added that the administration’s plans “absolutely” include increased enforcement actions at workplaces as ICE expands staffing and detention capacity.
Trump’s renewed emphasis on job-site enforcement could lead to a surge in arrests and have broader economic consequences. Analysts warn that replacing detained immigrant workers with alternative labour could drive up labour costs and potentially undermine the administration’s efforts to curb inflation.
Earlier this year, certain businesses were temporarily exempted from enforcement under Trump’s orders, but that exemption was later reversed.
Some immigration policy advocates have argued that employers should be the primary focus of enforcement efforts.
“Eventually you’re going to have to go after these employers,” said Jessica Vaughan, policy director at the Centre for Immigration Studies.
As the immigration crackdown expands, Trump’s public support on the issue has weakened. His approval rating on immigration policy fell from 50% in March to 41% by mid-December, following enforcement operations in several major US cities.
“People are beginning to see this not as an immigration question anymore as much as it is a violation of rights, a violation of due process and militarising neighbourhoods,” said Mike Madrid, a moderate Republican political strategist.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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