New Tracker Details Sharp Increase in ICE Enforcement Against South Asian and Pacific Islander Immigrants

WASHINGTON — Immigration arrests, detentions and deportations involving Asian immigrants have risen sharply under President Donald Trump’s second administration, according to a new data tracker released Tuesday by Stop AAPI Hate.

The organization’s new A/PI ICE Tracker provides an interactive look at Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity involving people from 35 Asian and Pacific Islander countries, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. Users can examine enforcement actions by state, country of citizenship, age and gender.

The tracker covers the period from Jan. 20, 2025, through Aug. 6, 2026, and is designed to provide a clearer picture of how the administration’s expanded immigration enforcement has affected Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

According to Stop AAPI Hate’s analysis, ICE arrests of Asian immigrants reached 1,950 in July 2026, the highest monthly total recorded during Trump’s second term.

Compared with an equivalent period under the previous administration, arrests of Asian immigrants increased by 436%, compared with a 219% increase among immigrants overall. Detentions of Asian immigrants rose 512%, compared with a 280% increase overall. Deportations increased by 1,103%, compared with a 356% increase across all immigrant groups.

The data show that people from India, China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Laos accounted for some of the largest shares of Asian immigrants arrested, detained and deported.

The increases have not been distributed evenly among Asian communities. Stop AAPI Hate found that people from Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, as well as people from historical refugee communities in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Bhutan, experienced enforcement actions at levels that were disproportionately high compared with their estimated shares of the Asian noncitizen population.

California, Texas and New York account for largest shares

California recorded the largest share of ICE arrests involving Asian immigrants, accounting for 25.2% of all such arrests. Texas accounted for 12.6%, followed by New York at 9.4%.

Those figures broadly correspond with the states’ large Asian immigrant populations. Other states, however, saw enforcement activity that was considerably higher relative to the size of their Asian noncitizen populations.

In Oklahoma, the state’s share of arrests was more than nine times its share of the Asian-born noncitizen population. Indiana, Minnesota and Pennsylvania each accounted for roughly twice their respective shares of the national Asian noncitizen population.

Stop AAPI Hate said several factors may contribute to these patterns. Increased immigration enforcement involving commercial truck drivers may help explain higher numbers in Oklahoma, Indiana and Pennsylvania, while a major ICE operation in the Twin Cities contributed to Minnesota’s figures.

Pacific Islander communities also affected

The tracker also documents increases in immigration enforcement involving Pacific Islanders, although at substantially lower levels than those recorded among Asian immigrants.

Between the two periods examined, arrests of Pacific Islanders increased 25%, while detentions rose 34% and deportations increased 33%.

People from the Federated States of Micronesia accounted for approximately 47% of Pacific Islander arrests, while Marshallese citizens accounted for about 29%.

Arkansas recorded the largest share of Pacific Islander ICE arrests, at 24.9%, with Marshallese people making up the majority of those arrested. The figure is disproportionately high compared with Arkansas’ estimated 7.3% share of the nation’s Pacific Islander noncitizen population.

Other locations with significant shares of Pacific Islander arrests included Hawaii, with 15.9%, Guam with 13.9%, California with 7%, and Iowa with 4.7%.

Organization says data reveal broader impact

Stephanie Chan, director of research at Stop AAPI Hate, said Asian communities have often been overlooked in discussions about the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

“Asian communities are too often left out of national conversations about the impact of Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda,” Chan said. “Our data analysis shows that they are experiencing alarming increases in arrests, detentions, and deportations.”

Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, said the effects of immigration policy extend beyond people directly targeted by ICE.

“The tracker tells only part of the story,” Choi said. “Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda doesn’t just stop at immigrants — it casts suspicion on anyone perceived to be foreign, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who are U.S. citizens or whose families have been here for generations.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who attended a briefing on the tracker, said the numbers demonstrate patterns that go beyond individual cases.

“These stunning numbers are not anecdotal, but patterns of violence and cruelty,” Jayapal said.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., also addressed the findings, noting that California accounted for roughly a quarter of ICE arrests involving Asian immigrants.

“So, it’s very personal,” Khanna said.

Stop AAPI Hate said the tracker will be updated as additional government data become available. The organization said the tool is intended to help journalists, policymakers, advocates and members of the public better understand the scope and geographic distribution of immigration enforcement affecting Asian and Pacific Islander communities.