U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is removing about 1,500 people per day, the fastest pace since the Obama era and more than double the level recorded earlier this summer. Department of Homeland Security figures show that deportations have surpassed 332,000 this year and are on track to reach roughly 400,000 by December—well below the administration’s stated goal of 1 million removals but far above last year’s totals. At the same time, daily immigration arrests have slipped below 1,000 after peaking in June. The stepped-up enforcement comes as the number of migrants held in federal facilities has jumped 50% since January. ICE is attempting to nearly triple its ranks of deportation officers, preparing training sites to process up to 10,000 new recruits despite warnings from former officials that accelerated hiring could sacrifice vetting and instruction standards. Technology spending is also rising. ICE recently awarded Palantir Technologies a $30 million contract to build “ImmigrationOS,” an artificial-intelligence platform designed to identify, track and facilitate the removal of certain non-citizens. A prototype is due by 25 September 2025, and the agreement extends through 2027. The intensified removals follow a historic surge in the nation’s unauthorized population, which the Pew Research Center estimated reached 14 million in 2023 during the prior administration before edging lower this year. Immigration advocates say expanded enforcement, combined with new state and federal initiatives, is heightening risks for undocumented residents, particularly as hurricane season approaches in the Southeast.