The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surpassed 10,000 detentions in just five days at the end of June 2026, reaching an average of 2,000 arrests per day that the White House had set as the new operational standard, according to . This figure doubles the maximum rate recorded earlier in the year.
The immigration lawyer Wilfredo Allen III, consulted this Friday by Tania Costa, was straightforward in assessing what this means for those with scheduled appointments with ICE: "Absolutely [it complicates their situation]. And it's even worse in Miami."
Allen explained that the situation in South Florida worsened due to wildfires that forced the evacuation of the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade between June 20 and 23. The detainees were relocated to other facilities both within and outside of Florida, and now the agency is seeking to regain that capacity: "I imagine they are trying to fill those beds again," the lawyer remarked.
According to Allen III, behind this escalation lies a clear political motivation linked to the electoral calendar. "There is an election in November. They know they are going to lose in November. So they are doing everything they can to stop as many people as possible," he stated.
The pressure is not limited to street operations. The lawyer warned that immigration courts also operate under a logic of forced acceleration, with mandates for judges to resolve up to a hundred cases per day in mass hearings known as "Mega-Masters." "A hundred cases. It's madness," summarized Allen III. Additionally, the courts are functioning with only 600 of the 800 authorized judges, following the dismissals ordered by the Trump administration.
The change in leadership at ICE also altered the tactics on the ground. Following the dismissal of Gregory Bovino and Kristi Noem, the new leaders chose more discreet methods—traffic controls and presentation appointments—rather than the mass raids that sparked protests. "It's all a strategy to detain. It’s a very aggressive way for this administration to try to detain and deport as many people as possible while they still have the power to do so," Allen III summarized.
In this context, the lawyer highlighted a recent decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals which establishes that no person can be detained by ICE for more than 90 days without receiving at least one bail hearing.
"Just yesterday (on Thursday), there was a very important ruling in the fifth circuit that, to my surprise, was in our favor," said Allen III, who described the decision as a sign that "rulings are gradually going our way."
In response to the question of what to do if ICE detains someone during an appointment, Allen was emphatic: always go accompanied by a lawyer and have someone waiting outside. "If you don’t get out, call a lawyer to try to help you," he stated. The attorney emphasized that his firm goes "almost every day" with clients to ICE offices, and that presence makes a decisive difference.
The arrests of Cuban migrants increased by 463% between March 2025 and April 2026, with Miami accounting for 10% of the national total. Allen warned that ICE has even begun detaining citizens and legal residents: "It is a horrible tragedy in this country."
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