The Department of Homeland Security has ordered a nationwide enforcement surge targeting so-called "sanctuary" cities and states, rejecting reports that agents were pulling back arrests and instead vowing to expand operations into a dozen Democratic-led jurisdictions.

DHS identified California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington state as targets of the surge, according to reporting on the announcement. Officials said the surge would prioritize "criminal illegal aliens" whom they say have been released from local jails by "sanctuary politicians," while insisting no other undocumented immigrants are exempt from arrest.

"WE WILL CONTINUE TO ARREST ANY AND ALL ILLEGAL ALIENS THAT COME INTO OUR PATH"

The Numbers Behind the Announcement

DHS tied the surge to a statement released days earlier claiming assaults on ICE officers have jumped more than 1,600% since President Trump returned to office. The department counted 647 assaults against ICE personnel between January 20, 2025 and September 20, 2026, compared with 37 assaults over a comparable stretch under the Biden administration — a 1,649% increase by DHS's own math.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin used the figures to call on local officials to tone down their criticism of the agency, singling out Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for comparing ICE to a "modern-day Gestapo" and Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas for accusing the agency of "turning us into Nazi Germany." DHS argues that rhetoric like that has fueled the spike in confrontations agents now face in the field.

Denial and Pushback

The surge announcement doubled as a rebuttal to earlier reports suggesting ICE was quietly scaling back arrests amid mounting legal and political pressure. DHS explicitly denied any pullback, with the agency stating bluntly that "no one is off the table" for enforcement action, regardless of criminal history.

Sanctuary-city officials and immigrant-rights groups have condemned the surge as an escalation likely to sweep up people without criminal records despite DHS's stated focus on "criminal illegal aliens," pointing to past surges in cities like Chicago and New York that drew similar criticism.

What's Next

DHS has not specified a timeline or agent count for the surge, but officials say deployments to the named jurisdictions are already underway. Legal challenges from several of the targeted states are considered likely, echoing fights over earlier ICE operations this year.