Texas Ranks First In ICE Arrest Rate Among States, Study Finds

AUSTIN, Texas (TXAN 24) — Texas recorded the highest average annual rate of Immigration and Customs Enforcement administrative arrests among all 50 states from October 2022 through March 2026, according to an analysis by The Mendoza Law Firm.

The study found Texas recorded 153,478 ICE arrests during the 42-month period, equivalent to an annualized average of 43,850.9 arrests, or about 120 arrests per day.

Based on the study’s population calculations, Texas recorded 140.75 ICE arrests per 100,000 residents, placing it ahead of New Jersey at 74.01 and Louisiana at 73.86.

Texas accounted for 25.5% of the arrests recorded nationally during the study period, while representing about 9.2% of the U.S. population.

The analysis examined ICE administrative arrest records for all 50 states over the 42-month period. Each state’s total was annualized and measured against its average annual population from 2022 through 2026.

The study found Texas’ arrest rate was 90.2% higher than New Jersey, the second-ranked state, and 24.7 times higher than Vermont, which recorded the lowest rate at 5.70 arrests per 100,000 residents.

The ten states with the lowest rates collectively recorded 20,784 arrests during the study period, compared with Texas’ 153,478.

The analysis was conducted by The Mendoza Law Firm using arrest data from the Deportation Data Project and population data from World Population Review. The findings describe arrest rates during the specified study period and do not represent a forecast of future ICE enforcement activity.