ICE Arrests Soar Across U.S., and Meta Agrees to Make Major Changes to Instagram and Facebook

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**Tracy Mumford** (0:32)
For The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today is Thursday, August 27th. Here's what we're covering.
New data on ICE arrests around the country shows how, this summer, the Trump administration has dramatically stepped up its mass deportation campaign. In June, ICE arrests hit 43,000. In July, that surged to 49,000, hitting record highs. The numbers have been rising as agents have detained people who weren't prioritized for deportation under previous administrations. That included people married to US citizens and people who had entered the country legally and were pursuing an asylum claim. While the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly said it's focused on detaining, quote, the worst of the worst, the data shows agents are increasingly targeting people with no criminal record. In July, for example, the share of those arrested who had a violent criminal conviction fell to less than 4 percent. The data, which was obtained by an academic group through a public records lawsuit and analyzed by The Times, covered all ICE arrests through August 5th, and it shows that they are nearing an all-time high in almost every state. The surge is most pronounced, though, in Florida and Texas, two states with a large number of unauthorized immigrants and officials who support the administration's crackdown.
Beyond arrests, other data shows that the number of deportation flights is picking up, too. According to a tracking effort run by a human rights group, at least 329 deportation flights left the country last month, another record. One former ICE official told The Times that overall, the agency now has, quote, more money, more detention space, more local partners and better systems, adding, quote, they're finally putting all the pieces together to build out this deportation machine.
A spokesperson for DHS said the administration was keeping its promises to arrest and deport criminals and that anyone in the country illegally is a target.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:52)
It is a rare occurrence for any attorney general to get to make an announcement as big as the one we are making today.

**Tracy Mumford** (3:00)
Yesterday, the tech giant Metta agreed to a landmark settlement over claims it endangered children by making social media platforms addictive.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:10)
We will look back on today as the beginning of the end of the bad old days when children had unfettered access to products designed to addict them and expose them to serious mental harm.

**Tracy Mumford** (3:27)
In announcing the settlement, officials representing 47 states said the company had agreed to pay up to $17 billion in penalties, and to make major changes to its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. Meta agreed to put in place a two-hour daily time limit for young users, to silence notifications during school hours, and to interrupt endless scrolling.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:52)
Meta has fought restrictions like this, tooth and nail, for the better part of the past decade. So to see them agree to this and capitulate in some ways, really is telling of how they felt their case was going.

**Tracy Mumford** (4:06)
My colleague Mike Isaac covers Silicon Valley for the Times. He says, one thing that's notable about the new settlement is that in it, Meta is trying to make sure that other social media companies also have to pay penalties and make changes to their products. Under the deal, Meta says it will pay more and impose stricter time limits on kids using its platforms if companies like Snap, TikTok and YouTube also settle similar lawsuits that states have brought against them.
Mike says Meta's argument is that kids will be safer if all the companies get on board. But at its core, this is also a business strategy of keeping its competitors in check.

**SPEAKER_3** (4:48)
One of the things I would say that's really key to Meta and Facebook and Instagram being on top for more than two decades was this constant obsession, specifically from Mark Zuckerberg, keeping new young people coming into the app. That puts them at a great disadvantage if other companies like say TikTok or YouTube are able to basically continue what they've been doing all along and keep people coming back from an early age.