What’s currently happening at the U.S.-Mexico border?

Click here to read an accurately represented, current report about migration dynamics and conditions at the border (released August 2026)

The trend in deportations from the U.S. has been increasing since 2025. According to a statement released by the White House on October 20, 2026, about 1.2 million deportations have been carried out since January 2025, with 2,030 in the El Paso region as of September 2026, according to El Paso Matters.

Track Current Statistics for ICE Arrests & Detentions Here

  • ICE detained 277,913 people in 2024, and 66,886 people in 2025.
  • ICE deported 271,484 people in 2024, and 71,405 people in 2025, including 17,157 with a Criminal Conviction, 6,369 with Pending Criminal Charges, and 47,879 considered “other immigration violators”.

According to the Cato Institute (November, 2025), ICE has recorded the following starting the new fiscal year (October, 2025): Cato Institute: ICE Detentions Data

  • 73% of the people under ICE custody had NO criminal conviction
  • Nearly half of the population under ICE custody had NO criminal conviction or any pending criminal charges
  • 8% had a violent or property criminal conviction
  • ONLY 5% had a criminal conviction

On October 2, 2026, a federal judge temporarily stopped border barrier construction in the Big Bend region of Texas, while a lawsuit continues. The case raises concerns about private property, government authority, and land damage. (Texas Tribune)

On October 10, 2026, a 200-year old cottonwood tree, sacred to the Tohono O’odham Nation, was destroyed for the construction of two 30-foot border walls in Lochiel, Arizona. In addition, environmental activists and members of the Tohono O’odham Nation have been arrested in an effort to halt construction, with some of the arrests occurring during a prayer near the tree. (The Guardian)

Current conditions inside Camp East Montana (as of October 2026):

  • An earlier report done by ICE, there had already been 60 violations at this new detention center in Fort Bliss. These violations include a lack of proper medical attention for detainees dealing with certain medical conditions; a lack of proper and basic procedures to keep both guards and detainees safe; and detainees were not able to contact their lawyers for weeks.
  • As of October 16, civil rights organizations have asked the federal court to improve Camp East Montana, with reports of medical neglect, unsafe living conditions, inadequate food, abuse by guards, and difficulty contacting lawyers. The request is supported by more than 40 statements from detained people, relatives, and experts in medical care and prison conditions. (KTSM 9 News).
  • ICE plans to extend its contract with Amentum, a company running Camp East Montana and facing multiple lawsuits, until September 2027, potentially costing taxpayers an additional $776 million. (Texas Observer)
  • As of October 2026, at least 29 people have died under ICE custody, all across the U.S (National Immigration Project)
  • As of October 2026, three people have died at Camp East Montana, one of whom was ruled a homicide by the El Paso Medical Examiner’s Office (KTSM 9 News).
  • Currently, ICE is the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency, sitting at a $77 billion USD budget, which is expected to increase in the next few months. The House of Representatives has already passed the bill that would increase its funding, and it is now in the Senate, where it could still be blocked. If you want to prevent the increase, call your senators and urge them to oppose any increase to ICE’s budget.

Sources: Migration Policy Institute (2025) U.S. Immigration Detention Grows to Record Highs under the Trump Administration, Immigration Detention in the United States by Agency