After a brief pause, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now sending a clear message to immigrants: anyone in the United States without legal authorization is at risk of arrest, regardless of their criminal history, according to Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, in an exclusive interview with CBS News.
Lyons said the agency will continue prioritizing individuals with serious criminal records. However, he made it clear that undocumented immigrants with no prior convictions will not be spared: if encountered during operations, they will be taken into custody, he warned.
The ICE chief noted that states and cities that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities—especially those that decline to hand over foreign detainees—are forcing the agency to increase its presence in the field. These operations often lead to so-called “collateral” arrests of undocumented individuals who were not initially targeted. “We would prefer to operate directly in detention facilities, but when that’s not possible, we have to go into the communities,” Lyons explained, as reported by CBS News.
He believes ICE now has the resources to expand its operations significantly.
Thanks to a massive funding package approved by Congress, the agency could, he said, meet the goal set by the Trump administration: one million deportations per year.
At the same time, large-scale workplace raids have resumed. CBS News reports that hundreds of people suspected of working without authorization were arrested in a meat processing plant in Nebraska, a racetrack in Louisiana, and several cannabis farms in California. Ten minors were among those taken into custody.
These types of operations had been suspended under the previous administration. But the new federal leadership has relaunched them, stating that both undocumented workers and employers will now face consequences. Todd Lyons confirmed this new approach, arguing that some companies exploit immigrants’ vulnerability, including in cases of forced labor and child trafficking. “These are not victimless crimes,” he emphasized.
The current strategy marks a sharp break from the guidelines under Joe Biden, where ICE agents were instructed to focus primarily on individuals who posed a threat to national security or had committed serious offenses. That policy was dropped at the start of Donald Trump’s second term.
According to data obtained by CBS News, approximately 150,000 people were deported during the first six months of the new administration. Of those, 70,000 had criminal records—though many of the offenses were immigration-related or involved traffic violations.
Source: CBS News
