US immigration agents have been granted broader authority to arrest people without warrants, according to a report citing an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo, marking a significant escalation in President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown. The change expands the power of lower-level agents and signals a shift away from targeted operations toward more aggressive street-level enforcement.
According to the New York Times, ICE agents were informed this week that they can now arrest individuals they encounter and suspect of being undocumented immigrants without first obtaining a warrant. The expanded authority allows agents to conduct sweeping arrests during routine encounters rather than limiting enforcement to pre-planned operations aimed at specific individuals.
The move comes as the Trump administration has deployed thousands of masked federal immigration agents into cities across the United States. The crackdown has been most visible in Minneapolis, where immigration enforcement has turned into a national flashpoint following the fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal agents, incidents that sparked widespread protests and violent clashes between residents and law enforcement.
Under the administration’s current strategy, about 3,000 federal officers have been sent into the Minneapolis area, patrolling streets in tactical gear. The force is roughly five times the size of the city’s police department, underscoring the scale of the federal response and intensifying concerns about militarised policing and civil liberties.
Facing mounting public anger, Trump initially suggested a partial retreat. On January 28, he told reporters that the administration would “de-escalate a little bit,” attempting to calm tensions after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Shortly afterward, federal officials eased immigration operations in Maine, another area where enforcement actions had drawn criticism.
Days later, however, Trump reversed course. Asked whether agents would be withdrawn from Minnesota, he said “not at all,” insisting the crackdown would continue. “We keep our country safe. We’ll do whatever we can to keep our country safe,” he said, reinforcing his administration’s hard-line stance despite the backlash.
Border czar Tom Homan, dispatched to oversee operations in Minnesota, acknowledged flaws in the enforcement campaign but defended its overall goals. He said the administration was working to make operations safer, more efficient, and compliant with internal rules, while rejecting claims that the mission itself was misguided. Homan admitted that “nothing is ever perfect” and said changes were being made to improve execution rather than reduce enforcement.
The expansion of ICE’s warrantless arrest powers is likely to intensify legal and political challenges to Trump’s immigration agenda. Critics argue the policy risks racial profiling, wrongful detention, and further erosion of trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, while supporters see it as a necessary tool to accelerate deportations and restore border control.
As protests continue and scrutiny grows, the new policy underscores the administration’s determination to press ahead with one of the most aggressive immigration enforcement drives in modern US history, even as it confronts rising resistance at home.
