Immigration enforcement is an issue of ever-increasing importance for policymakers. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — which is home to both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection — increased by 90.5% in the last 10 years. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 increased DHS funding an additional $178 billion over four years, with the money specifically earmarked for immigration enforcement.

This recent funding increase, along with executive orders and proclamations from the second Trump administration, DHS memos outlining new policies, and proposed changes to the Code of Federal Regulations, represents a new approach to immigration enforcement. The result is more agents, more detention capacity, and changes to agency policy and strategy.