source: Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) published an extensive Border Update on July 24, 2026 with many critical developments in immigration data from June 2026. The article examines data provided by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about summer Border Patrol apprehensions, data from TRAC (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse) about asylum case approval rates and data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about daily arrests and much more in detail. The article has been summarized and outlined by an IRTF intern for comprehension purposes.
Highlights:
BORDER APPREHENSIONS
- down 2% (May-June)
- most occurring in Rio Grande Valley of South Texas (2,227 apprehended in June)
DRUG SEIZURES (FY 2025 v FY 2026)
11% increase in border seizures of meth
5% increase in border seizures of cocaine*
9% decrease in border seizures of fentanyl
*despite the US bombing of 67 boats suspected of smuggling cocaine since September 2025
ASYLUM APPROVAL/DENIAL
94% of cases in immigration court denied in June (up from 70% denial in March)
ICE ARRESTS
June 2024: 245 arrested per day in the interior of the US
June 2026: 1,319 arrested per day
ICE DETENTIONS
July 2026: 65,765 detained (down from 70,000 in February)
31% have been convicted of a crime
32% have pending criminal charges
37% have no criminal record
ICE REMOVAL FLIGHTS
288 removal flights (deportation) in June 2026; 112 were to Mexico
356,389 people removed so far this fiscal year (Oct 1-June 30)
