ICE Immigration Crackdown 2026: New Enforcement Strategy Could Detain Thousands—What You Need to Know

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is once again at the center of the national debate over immigration enforcement after a newly released February 18 memo dramatically broadens the agency’s power to arrest and detain refugees who have lived in the United States for at least one year but have not yet adjusted to lawful-permanent-resident status. The directive—signed jointly by ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—permits officers to “arrest and detain” tens of thousands of refugees if they miss the one-year deadline to apply for a green card, a move the administration argues is necessary to “safeguard national security”. Immigration advocates counter that the change criminalizes paperwork delays and could trigger a wave of family separations during an already backlogged processing system. NPR obtained internal data indicating that roughly 85,000 refugees could be subject to the expanded enforcement sweep, raising fears of large-scale community disruptions in states such as Texas, California and Minnesota, where many refugees resettled over the past decade. Beyond the refugee memo, ICE immigration operations are accelerating on multiple fronts: • 287(g) EXPANSION: ICE now lists 1,427 active cooperation agreements with local police departments—up 18 percent since last summer—allowing sheriff’s deputies to initiate immigration checks and place detainers directly from county jails. • NEW DETENTION SPACE: The Department of Homeland Security has proposed spending $38 billion to convert 24 vacant warehouses into detention centers, a project civil-rights groups say would more than double the nation’s detention-bed capacity. • UPCOMING STATE OF THE UNION: White House officials signal that President Trump will highlight aggressive ICE immigration enforcement as proof of campaign promises kept, previewing a “mass deportation” theme in next week’s address—messaging experts believe aims to energize the 2026 mid-term electorate. Legal analysts note that because refugees enter under humanitarian grounds, they have historically faced lower removal risk than other non-citizens; the memo marks the most sweeping policy shift toward that group since 9/11. “This is a fundamental re-interpretation of the Refugee Act—one that effectively ties lawful presence to flawless paperwork within a narrow window,” said Sarah McCormick, a former DHS lawyer now at Georgetown Law’s Center on National Security. Local governments are split. Florida’s governor praised the announcement, pledging state resources to aid ICE immigration teams in upcoming operations, while New Jersey lawmakers pushed a fast-track package that would bar state agencies from sharing address data with federal deportation officers. What refugees need to know now: 1. Apply for Adjustment of Status Immediately. Filing Form I-485 before the one-year mark shields applicants from the new detention trigger. 2. Keep Proof of Pending Application. ICE officers must verify whether an application is on file; carrying a receipt notice can avert custody. 3. Seek Legal Counsel. Nonprofit immigrant-rights hotlines report call volume up 300 percent in 24 hours, and many are offering expedited screenings. The administration insists the policy is narrowly tailored, but immigration courts are already facing a record 3.3 million pending cases. Advocates warn the change will overwhelm both detention centers and dockets, prolonging custody times even for ultimately eligible refugees. With federal, state and local policies in flux, the coming weeks will determine whether the United States embarks on the largest refugee-status enforcement action in modern history—or whether legal challenges and congressional pushback slow ICE immigration plans before they fully take effect.