October 19, 2026 · By Ahmad Yakzan
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made about 45,000 arrests in Florida in the 12 months from August 2025 to early August 2026. That is about 2.4 times the roughly 19,000 arrests in the 12 months before. In the busiest recent quarter, April to June 2026, ICE recorded about 11,400 arrests in Florida. In late 2022 and 2023, it averaged about 2,200 a quarter.
These figures come from ICE's own arrest records, released through public records requests and published by the Deportation Data Project. Below is what they show for each region of Florida, how people are being arrested, and what families can do when someone is detained. This article is general information, not legal advice for any one case.
The records cover ICE arrests from October 2022 through early August 2026. We compared the most recent 12 months (August 7, 2025 to August 6, 2026) with the 12 months before.
ICE's records do not include a home address, so each arrest was placed by the county jail named on the record or, if none, by the city entered. Many arrests are logged at an ICE office or processing center, which can count an arrest in the county where that office sits instead of where the person lives. For that reason, the regional totals below are more reliable than any single county's count, and all figures are rounded.
About 14,500 arrests in the last 12 months, roughly 2.7 times the year before. South Florida stands out for how people were arrested: about 42% were arrested in the community, such as at home, at work or during a check-in at an ICE office, rather than after being booked into a jail. Many arrests in the region are logged under ICE's main South Florida office in Miramar, even when they happened elsewhere, so county-by-county counts here are less precise.
About 7,100 arrests, roughly 2.8 times the year before. Hillsborough County accounts for the largest share, followed by Polk. About half of Tampa Bay arrests involved people already in jail custody, and about a third came through 287(g) agreements with local sheriffs.
About 6,200 arrests, roughly double the year before. Most are logged in Orange County, where ICE's Orlando office is located, so arrests of people who live in Osceola, Seminole and nearby counties often appear under Orange.
About 5,100 arrests, roughly 2.4 times the year before. Lee County nearly tripled. Almost half of the arrests in this region came through 287(g) agreements, and in Collier County the share was even higher.
About 3,100 arrests, roughly 2.5 times the year before. About half came through 287(g) agreements, the highest share of any region. These figures leave out Baker County, where many arrest records reflect people held at the detention center there rather than local residents.
ICE's records sort arrests into a few types. Across Florida in the last 12 months:
ICE also classifies each person by criminal history. In the last 12 months, about one in three people arrested in Florida had no criminal conviction or pending criminal charge in ICE's records, up from about one in five the year before.
An arrest by ICE starts a separate immigration process, and the first days matter. Some general steps:
Every case is different, and the right steps depend on the person's history and status. Learn more about our deportation defense practice.
If you or a loved one has been arrested by ICE, received a Notice to Appear or has an immigration court date, schedule a consultation with Ahmad Yakzan at American Dream Law Office. Call (656) 236-0205 or schedule online.
Source: ICE arrest records, October 2022 to August 2026, published by the Deportation Data Project (deportationdata.org). Figures are rounded and reflect ICE's own data entry.
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