Audit finds federal immigration arrests in NYC up 70% under Trump
The report said more than half of those arrests happened at immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, underscoring the building’s central role in the recent increase.
Federal immigration arrests in New York City have surged by more than 70% since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to a city audit that points to a sharp rise in enforcement activity across the five boroughs.
Commissioned by Mayor Zohran Mamdani shortly after he entered office this year, the audit found that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 5,567 people in the New York City area from 20 January, 2025, when Mr Trump, a Republican, was sworn in for a new term, through 10 March, 2026.
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The report said more than half of those arrests happened at immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, underscoring the building’s central role in the recent increase.
Measured against the same number of days at the close of Democratic president Joe Biden’s administration, the audit found, that total marked a 71% jump.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani entered office earlier this year
Mr Mamdani, a Democrat, said he initiated the audit as part of a broader push to shield immigrant communities from fear and uncertainty.
“New York City is home to immigrants from every corner of the world, and no one should live in fear because of their status,” the mayor said in a statement yesterday.
The audit report set out more than two dozen recommendations, including a review of emails exchanged between officials in the city’s Department of Corrections and ICE to determine whether any improper communications took place.
It also called for ending daily reports to ICE on the national origin of non-citizens admitted into custody who have qualifying “violent and serious convictions.”
The report said that providing that information is not mandated by federal, state or local law.
New York and other Democratic strongholds have laws that curb cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, with supporters arguing that local resources should not be devoted to what is chiefly a federal duty and that, in the interest of public safety, immigrants should feel able to report crimes to law enforcement without fearing deportation.
