According to new data, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested twice as many people in Alaska this year as last year. The Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley, reported 33 ICE arrests in Alaska by June 26, 2025.
Of those arrested, 24 individuals were arrested, with only 10 deported or awaiting deportation, the report further indicated. President Trump signed executive orders directing the Department of Homeland Security to intensify arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants nationwide.
Anchorage immigration attorney Margaret Stock said enforcement tactics in 2025 differ significantly from those she has seen in her 25 years of practice. She criticized the shift, saying immigration law is being treated like criminal law, designed to punish people solely for their immigration status.
Stock referred to the case of her client 27 year old Somali national Roble Ahmed Salad, arrested by ICE in Anchorage on February 4. Salad was legally allowed to live and work in the US, yet ICE attempted to deport him until Stock intervened in court.
She filed a writ of habeas corpus, leading a federal judge to order Salad’s release on March 7, 2025. Stock claimed ICE was rounding people up to meet numbers, though the Trump administration has denied setting deportation quotas.
However, advisor Stephen Miller said in May that Trump aims for a minimum of 3,000 ICE arrests daily nationwide, with growth expected. Data shows more deportations involve administrative arrests of undocumented immigrants without criminal convictions compared to last year.
By June 26, 39% of deportees had criminal convictions compared to 80% in 2024, marking a significant demographic shift. The number of people deported with pending criminal charges also increased from one in 2024 to five this year.
