Federal
ICE Arrests Surge to 10,000 in Five Days as Enforcement Push Intensifies Nationwide
Between June 26 and 30, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more than 10,000 individuals, more than doubling its recent arrest rate and marking a significant escalation in immigration enforcement aligned with the Trump administration’s broader deportation agenda. On June 27 alone, ICE reported more than 2,400 arrests, increasing the agency’s detention population to more than 63,000 individuals. According to recently appointed Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, the administration has shifted away from the highly publicized, city-specific operations conducted earlier this year under former Secretary Kirsti Noem.
However, despite the lower-profile approach, enforcement operations have continued to draw public and international attention. On July 7, ICE agents fatally shot Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during what the agency described as a “targeted enforcement operation” in Houston, Texas. The first deadly shooting since the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. ICE agents claimed Araujo “rammed” into an agency vehicle, “refused” to follow verbal commands, and attempted to “run over an ICE law enforcement officer” prompting the officer to fire in self-defense. In response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that Mexico intends to move beyond diplomacy pursuing civil lawsuits against private immigration detention operators and seeking investigations into alleged human rights abuses in ICE detention facilities.
Trump Administration Asks Texas to Help Fund Legal Services for Detained Immigrant Children
In June 2026, the Trump administration asked Texas officials to aid in providing legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children facing deportation, as existing federally funded legal aid programs for immigrant youth face growing uncertainty. Federal officials reportedly contacted the Texas Indigent Defense Commission about whether the state agency could help represent immigrant children in immigration court. The request raised concerns because the commission’s work is focused on criminal defense for low-income Texans, while deportation proceedings are civil cases that fall under federal immigration law. Advocates have also questioned why the federal government is turning to a state-level criminal defense agency to fill gaps in representation for children, specifically when Congress has previously recognized the need to ensure that unaccompanied minors have access to legal counsel in immigration proceedings.
The request comes as immigrant legal aid providers say federal payments have been delayed or withheld, putting some organizations at risk and threatening services for children already in the immigration system. Legal service organizations help children understand court notices, prepare asylum or other protection claims, and avoid missing hearings that could result in removal orders. Advocates warn that reduced access to counsel could leave children to navigate immigration court alone, even as the administration moves to speed up removals. The issue has broader due process implications, particularly as deportations of children who entered the United States as unaccompanied minors have reportedly tripled under the Trump administration.
Legal
Federal Judges Issue Conflicting Rulings on DHS SAVE System
Federal judges have issued conflicting rulings on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, creating uncertainty for states and localities that rely on the database to verify immigration status for voter rolls, professional licenses, and other benefits. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. ruled on June 22 that DHS’s expanded citizenship database, which draws on Social Security and other federal records to flag noncitizens, must remain suspended nationwide. The judge found the agency likely acted unlawfully in rapidly building and deploying the system’s bulk-upload and Social Security number search features without proper safeguards or authority. Voting rights advocates and privacy groups have raised alarms that the database’s expansion under the Trump administration could be used to improperly challenge the citizenship status of eligible voters, given documented inaccuracies in similar federal data-matching efforts.
Two weeks later, on July 7, a federal judge in Florida ordered DHS to immediately restore those same features after the agency disabled them in response to the D.C. ruling, siding with state officials who argued the system is a critical resource for confirming eligibility for public programs and voter registration checks. The Florida ruling reflects concerns from state officials who say disruptions to SAVE have complicated routine verification processes that states depend on for administering elections and licensing programs. The two orders directly conflict, and the Florida judge has since directed DHS to file a status report on its compliance, which is expected to offer the first concrete sign of how the agency plans to navigate the contradictory rulings. The dueling decisions underscore a broader legal fight over how much authority DHS has to repurpose and share sensitive federal records for immigration enforcement and verification purposes, with the conflict likely to fuel further litigation as states and civil rights groups continue to challenge the system’s rollout.
State and Local
ICE Plans New Family Detention Center Near Deportation Flight Hub in Louisiana and Purchases Two Facilities in California
The Trump administration is planning a new Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) holding facility for families and children near a major deportation flight hub in Alexandria, Louisiana. The proposed site has drawn scrutiny after reporting revealed it sits on land contaminated with “forever” chemicals, raising health concerns for families and children who would be held there. Congressional Democrats have pressed DHS for greater transparency about the facility’s plans, and advocates note the expansion comes as ICE deportations of unaccompanied immigrant children have tripled under the current administration.
Separately, DHS has significantly expanded its detention footprint in California by purchasing two of the state’s largest immigration detention facilities from private prison operator CoreCivic in a deal worth $1.5 billion. The purchase was funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which DHS said “allowed ICE to expand detention space to fulfill the president’s promise of mass deportations.” California is now home to eight ICE detention facilities with combined capacity for nearly 9,000 people, and CoreCivic said it is in early talks with ICE about selling additional sites.
BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED
H.R. 9633
Birthright Citizenship Clarification Act of 2026
The bill would codify President Trump’s executive order seeking to limit birthright citizenship.
Sponsored by Rep. John J. McGuire (R-Virginia) (0 cosponsors)
07/09/2026 Introduced by Rep. McGuire
07/09/2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary
LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR
The U.S. House is scheduled to be in session from Monday, July 12 , through Thursday, July 16. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to be in session from Monday, July 12 , through Friday, July 17.
SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES
The Forum is constantly publishing new policy-focused resources that engage with some of the most topical issues around immigration today. Here are a few that are particularly relevant this week:
Explainer: Supreme Court Reaffirms Birthright Citizenship in Trump v. Barbara
Current Status of DACA: Explainer
Temporary Protected Status (TPS): Fact Sheet
Explainer: Proposed Restrictions on Employment Authorization for Certain Noncitizens
*As of publication (7/10/26 at 1:00 PM EST)
This Bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive. Please contact Nicci Mattey, Senior Policy & Advocacy Associate at the Forum, with questions, comments, and suggestions for additional items to be included. Nicci can be reached at nmattey@forumtogether.org. Thank you.