Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
HOW MANY WOMEN HAVE BEEN ARRESTED BY ICE?
Executive summary
Available sources do not provide a single, definitive national count of “how many women have been arrested by ICE”; instead reporting and agency data show large, shifting totals of people arrested or detained during recent enforcement operations and highlight women among those affected (for example, ICE reported 36,646 arrests in October 2025 among people booked into detention that month) [1]. Local news stories and advocacy reporting document specific incidents with women arrested — from protests and courthouse actions to enforcement “blitzes” — but none of the supplied items aggregate a nationwide total of female arrestees (not found in current reporting).
1. No single number in the available reporting — ICE and trackers report totals, not broken nationwide by sex
ICE’s publicly posted Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) statistics describe arrests over time and the agency’s mission but the page in the search set does not give a single national tally of how many women have been arrested across any multi‑year period; it frames ERO activity generally [2]. Independent data trackers and reporting cite large totals of people arrested or detained in short periods (for example, 36,646 arrests by ICE in October 2025 among 41,641 people booked into detention that month), but that reporting does not present a nationwide, sex‑disaggregated cumulative figure for women arrested by ICE [1].
2. Recent enforcement waves increased arrests — many stories mention women in specific operations
Multiple news items from November 2025 document enforcement operations that included women among those taken into custody. ABC reported federal agents made 130 arrests in 48 hours in Charlotte, and images in that dispatch show women detained during the operation [3]. The Guardian used ICE’s own data to note tens of thousands were arrested and detained during a government shutdown window, and that more than 21,000 people with no criminal record were among those arrested — the piece does not provide a sex‑specific breakdown [4]. These stories illustrate scale and the presence of women in enforcement actions without giving a single female total [3] [4].
3. Localized snapshots show women arrested in protests, courthouses and community settings
Reporting contains numerous localized examples. The Chicago Tribune documented 14 mothers arrested at a Broadview ICE processing center protest [5]. The Marshall Project described how ICE arrests at courthouses and other public settings have affected survivors of domestic violence and cited a survey of more than 170 attorneys and advocates indicating 70% reported clients afraid to go to court — that coverage highlights women targeted or chilled by enforcement but does not quantify nationwide female arrests [6]. ABC7 Chicago and local outlets have detailed hundreds arrested in Chicago operations and noted women among arrestees, including a high‑profile daycare removal — again, specific incidents rather than aggregate national sex counts [7] [5].
4. DHS/ICE press releases stress criminal‑alien arrests but don’t give a sex breakdown
Department of Homeland Security press releases in this set emphasize arrests of “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens and list large numbers of arrests in specific operations, but the releases cited here do not include a nationwide total of women arrested or a consistent men/women breakdown [8] [9] [10]. One DHS release singles out an individual woman arrested on an international murder warrant, showing women are included in agency enforcement anecdotes but again not providing a comprehensive female arrest total [11].
5. Data trackers and advocacy groups can offer more granular breakdowns — but not in these sources
The TRAC reports entry in this set provides detailed monthly arrest and detention counts (for example, 36,646 ICE arrests in October 2025 and detention population snapshots) and highlights the share of detainees without criminal convictions, but the snippet does not show sex‑disaggregated national arrest totals for women [1]. The Marshall Project and other advocacy coverage provide qualitative and survey evidence about impacts on women [6]. If you need an exact national count of women arrested by ICE, these sources suggest that a sex breakdown exists in some datasets, but that figure is not included in the items supplied here (not found in current reporting).
6. Interpretation and conflicting emphases you should expect
ICE and DHS messaging emphasizes arrests of criminal aliens and public‑safety framing [8] [9]. Independent press and advocacy reporting emphasize the scale of interior arrests, the number of people without criminal records taken into custody, and the chilling effect on survivors and people seeking services — particularly women — with local examples [4] [6]. These are competing narratives: official releases highlight criminality and operational success [8] [9], while journalistic and watchdog pieces stress broader impact, numbers of non‑criminal detainees, and examples of women affected by civil‑immigration arrests [4] [6].
7. What to do next if you want a precise number
To get a verifiable national count of women arrested by ICE, ask for sex‑disaggregated arrest data from ICE/ERO or consult the full TRAC dataset and ICE statistics pages for the specific period you care about; the specific sources provided here do not contain that aggregated female total [2] [1]. For context, use local reporting to understand how women have been affected in particular operations (examples: Broadview protest, Charlotte, Chicago) [5] [3] [7].
Limitations: This analysis relies only on the supplied search results; none of them publish a single, authoritative nationwide figure for the total number of women arrested by ICE (not found in current reporting).