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U.S. immigration enforcement took a sharp turn in January 2025, when President Donald Trump’s second term resumed the expansion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) powers. In an interview with CBS News on Face the Nation, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons stated that the agency will arrest anyone found in an unlawful immigration status — even those with no criminal record — and that it will aggressively pursue criminal liability for employers who hire unauthorized workers. This article breaks down what is at stake, current numbers, and practical implications for immigrants and businesses.
What Todd Lyons Said
Lyons stated that the agency’s stated priority remains removing the so-called worst of the worst — a category that includes individuals with serious criminal convictions, national security threats, and repeat violent offenders. However, he argued that sanctuary jurisdictions, which limit cooperation between local police and ICE, force the agency to enter communities to locate targets, generating what ICE calls collateral arrests.
The concept of collateral arrests means that individuals without prior warrants, encountered during operations targeting other subjects, are detained. Under the Biden administration, priority enforcement guidelines issued in 2021 discouraged these detentions; those guidelines were revoked at the start of Trump’s second term.
Arrest and Deportation Numbers
Between January and late June 2025, ICE deported approximately 70,000 people with some type of criminal conviction, according to internal data obtained by CBS News. Subsequent analyses showed that a significant portion of those convictions involved prior immigration violations or traffic offenses rather than violent crimes. In the first six months of the second term, ICE recorded approximately 150,000 total deportations.
The operational target set by the White House is 3,000 arrests per day, according to statements by Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The agency did not reach that level in 2025, but Congress approved a budget package with tens of billions of additional dollars for ICE in fiscal year 2026, enabling large-scale hiring, expanded detention capacity, and broader transportation operations.
Workplace Operations
The end of the Biden-era pause on workplace immigration raids marked another significant shift. In June and July 2025, ICE conducted large-scale operations that detained hundreds of workers at a meat processing plant in Nebraska, a racetrack in Louisiana, and cannabis farms in Southern California. The California farms alone resulted in more than 300 detentions, including ten minors.
Following pressure from agricultural and hospitality industry leaders, ICE announced a temporary suspension of raids on farms, hotels, and restaurants — but the pause lasted only a few days. President Trump stated in subsequent interviews that he is considering some form of pardon for farmers who employ unauthorized workers, though no details of any such mechanism had been released as of early 2026.
Criminal Liability for Employers
Lyons was unequivocal on CBS News in stating that companies hiring unauthorized workers will be held accountable in one hundred percent of cases. Enforcement actions will rely on criminal warrants based on statutes such as 8 U.S.C. § 1324a (employment of unauthorized aliens) and 8 U.S.C. § 1324 (harboring), with penalties ranging from civil fines to up to ten years imprisonment when aggravating factors such as human trafficking or forced labor are present.
Companies that maintain formal E-Verify verification processes and conduct periodic Form I-9 audits reduce their exposure. The renewed raids make internal immigration compliance audits a priority for legal and human resources departments in sectors such as agriculture, construction, hospitality, food processing, and cannabis.
Masks and Operational Tactics
ICE maintained the use of masks during operations in public spaces and corporate environments, citing agent safety. The practice has drawn legal challenges in federal courts and congressional hearings, with arguments that it hampers agent identification and accountability in cases of excessive force. Arrests carried out inside immigration courtrooms — as asylum applicants appeared for scheduled hearings — also continued.
Implications for Undocumented Immigrants
For the estimated 11 million people in the United States in an undocumented status, the current posture means that having no criminal record provides no protection against detention. Anyone in this situation is strongly advised to have a contingency plan: organized documentation, power of attorney arrangements for custody of U.S. citizen children, an immigration attorney’s contact information, and a basic understanding of their rights during an ICE encounter.
The right to remain silent, the right to refuse to open the door without a judicial warrant signed by a judge (not merely an administrative order), the right to refuse to sign documents without an attorney present, and the right to a phone call all remain constitutionally protected. The ACLU and the American Immigration Council are documenting cases for litigation where these rights are violated.
What to Expect in the Coming Months
The combination of expanded funding, agent hiring, detention center expansion, and greater coordination with local law enforcement suggests that arrest and deportation volumes will continue to rise throughout 2026. Mixed-status families — in which some members hold citizenship or a green card while others are undocumented — represent the most vulnerable segment and warrant immediate legal planning with a licensed immigration attorney.
Employers in exposed sectors should review contracts, update internal verification policies, and train staff on how to respond appropriately when agents arrive. Reactive decisions made during an active enforcement operation increase legal and operational risks for both the company and the workers involved.
Victoria Harper
Editor-in-Chief
Leading journalism and editorial content at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps make immigration topics clear, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.
