August 2026  

On the very first day of his second term, President Trump began issuing  Executive Orders affecting immigrants and the immigration process. In the summer of 2025, Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3), which allocated over $170 billion for immigration and border enforcement, allowing for a 120% increase in the In U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) workforce over a four-month recruitment campaign, with more than 12,000 new officers added by the end of 2025.   

With this surge, ICE hiring practices and training standards changed in ways that have considerably heightened the risk of violence and the disregard for protocols that protect civil rights. These heightened risks are especially challenging for nonprofits that serve children and families, as schools and daycares, food pantries and community centers, and social service organizations increasingly become targets for immigrant enforcement. Even religious organizations are targets.  

Additional funding for immigration enforcement

On June 9, 2026, Congress passed the Secure America Act, which funds ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with $69.5 billion dollars through September 30, 2029 (nearly an entire fiscal year of Trump’s successor’s first term after the 2028 election). This funding is in addition to the $170 billion dollars that was allocated for immigration and border enforcement in OB3, which also lasts through September 30, 2029.   

Increase in immigration arrests

As reported in a July 1, 2026 article in the New York Times, “Immigrant Arrests Surge to 10,000 in 5 Days as ICE Clamps Down,” ICE arrested more than 10,000 people in the last five days of June, in a major push prompted by guidance from the White House to increase the number of immigrant arrests to 2,000 per day.  While this increased enforcement is occurring without the displays of force and aggression seen last year in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, the increasing number of arrests emphasize the Trump administration’s focus on its promise of “mass deportations.”  

Prior to the recent surge in arrests, as of March 11, 2026, Pennsylvania and New Jersey ranked in the top 10 states with the most immigration arrests from the start of the Trump administration, with New Jersey ranking eighth in the country and Pennsylvania ranking 10th.  Pennsylvania’s high number of arrests may be attributable to a significant increase in the number of collaboration agreements between local law enforcement agencies and ICE under the ICE 287(g) Program, which provides several models under which local law enforcement agencies can cooperate with ICE in carrying out federal immigration enforcement operations.  See more information as reported by WHYY news in late June 2026.   

Interaction with ICE

In the face of what is unquestionably escalated risk, nonprofits are discovering that they must continue to prepare for interactions with federal immigration enforcement agents.    

To help prepare your organization and for answers to frequently asked questions from nonprofits about ICE interactions, download our free Fact Sheet and FAQs on ICE Interactions. The following  free resources are also designed to help your nonprofit prepare a plan and mitigate risks:  

  • Our how-to guide Preparing your nonprofit for ICE interactions and document requests provides an overview of the current immigration enforcement climate and legal landscape, which includes a roadmap for assessing your organization’s risk and preparing for enforcement encounters, and more. This guide explains sanctuary jurisdictions and sensitive locations and also highlights Pennsylvania-specific developments to help your nonprofit stay abreast of current developments.   

Finally, if you missed it, be sure to watch the on-demand recordings of the educational sessions presented in late March 2026 on these topics in partnership with the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) and the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO):