Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been forced to change tactics, shifting away from local jails and into neighborhoods and worksites as sanctuary policies shield illegal aliens from transfer to federal custody.

It's a change that has driven a surge in at-large arrests, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

The Post reported that ICE logged roughly 17,500 at-large arrests in September and was on pace to exceed that figure in October, based on data updated through midmonth.

Those totals far surpass any month in records dating to October 2011.

By comparison, the previous high came in January 2023, when the Biden administration recorded about 11,500 such arrests.

According to the Post's analysis, ICE is making more than four times as many at-large arrests per week as it did during President Donald Trump's first term.

The change reflects a broader Department of Homeland Security push to increase deportations as the administration targets large-scale enforcement goals.

The strategy began to take shape in June, when ICE launched a major enforcement operation in Los Angeles.

Over the following five months, at-large arrests nationwide totaled about 67,800 — more than double the total from the previous five months, the Post reported.

At-large arrests include detentions made at workplaces, immigration check-ins, and other public locations.

In June, September, and October, those arrests accounted for more than half of ICE's monthly total for the first time since April 2023, according to the Post.

Administration officials say the shift is driven in large part by sanctuary policies in blue states and cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Border czar Tom Homan told Newsmax that when local governments refuse to honor ICE detainers, agents are forced into neighborhoods and worksites.

"The majority of those we are arresting are criminals and national security threats," Homan said, adding that when ICE is blocked from jails, agents inevitably encounter and arrest other illegal immigrants as well.

While the Post reported that more than 60% of those arrested at large since June did not have criminal convictions or pending charges, DHS disputes that characterization.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said 70% of those arrested by ICE have criminal convictions or pending charges in the U.S., with some also having records in their home countries.

"This story only reveals how the media manipulates data to peddle a false narrative," McLaughlin told the Post, saying ICE continues to prioritize "the worst of the worst."

The Post's analysis also showed arrests rose 60% from June through mid-October compared with the administration's first five months.

In September alone, ICE recorded 21 days with more than 1,000 arrests.

Officials say targeted operations in blue cities — including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C. — have fueled the increase, underscoring the administration's aggressive approach to immigration enforcement amid continued resistance from sanctuary jurisdictions.