Nearly half of all deportations carried out under the second Donald Trump administration occurred in just five states, with California leading the list, according to newly released federal data.
The analysis, published by Axios on June 3, cites data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, which reported that 42,000 undocumented immigrants were deported nationwide by the end of March. Of these, about 50% lived in California, Texas, New York, Virginia, and Florida.
Deportation Hotspots and Political Cooperation with ICE
According to TRAC, Harris County, Texas—home to Houston—recorded the highest number of deportations, with 2,460 individuals removed. The largest backlog of pending deportation orders was found in Miami-Dade County, Florida, with 154,974 cases, followed by Cook County, Illinois (113,959) and Los Angeles County, California (112,090).
The report noted that law enforcement agencies in Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia are the most cooperative with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These jurisdictions have formal agreements enabling local officers to assist in federal immigration enforcement.
As of March, ICE had agreements with 629 law enforcement agencies nationwide. Florida accounted for 43% of those partnerships, with Texas at 14%, Georgia at 5%, North Carolina at 3.5%, and Virginia at 3.4%. Axios also observed that these states have a higher share of Republican elected officials.
In contrast, Democratic-led states like California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, New Jersey, Vermont, and Rhode Island have not signed such agreements. Federal authorities have instead concentrated efforts on undocumented individuals with serious criminal records in areas with high immigrant populations, such as California and New York.
Backlash in San Diego Over High-Profile Raid
On May 30, ICE and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents raided Buona Forchetta, a popular Italian restaurant in downtown San Diego, and arrested four undocumented workers. According to the Los Angeles Times, several bystanders attempted to block agents and vehicles. ICE officers reportedly used flashbangs during the confrontation.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria criticized the incident, stating, “The federal government claims to be acting in the name of public safety, but we witnessed actions that erode community trust and foster fear.”
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
