Daily Voice
By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice
More than a third of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Donald Trump have no criminal record, according to the latest data.
Nearly 75,000 people with no criminal backgrounds were arrested by ICE agents between Monday, Jan. 20, and Wednesday, Oct. 15, the University of California, Berkeley's Deportation Data Project said. About 220,000 people were taken into custody during Trump's first five months back in office.
The Deportation Data Project obtained the data as part of a lawsuit against ICE.
"It contradicts what the administration has been saying about people who are convicted criminals and that they are going after the worst of the worst," said Ariel Ruiz Soto, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.
Most ICE arrests involve young and working-age adults, with men accounting for about 90% of those detained through mid-October. Mexican nationals accounted for the largest share, followed by people from Guatemala and Honduras.
More than 60% of arrestees were between 25 and 45 years old. ICE also listed nearly 23,000 people under "voluntary departure," meaning they left the country on their own.
The findings don't include Border Patrol operations, which have expanded as southern border agents have been reassigned to cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
"That is the black box that we know nothing about," Ruiz Soto told NBC News. "How many arrests is Border Patrol doing? How many of those are leading to removals and under what conditions?"
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting a person in Philadelphia earlier in 2025.
The data also doesn't specify whether anyone with criminal records is facing minor charges or more serious accusations. Separate Department of Homeland Security figures show about 65,000 people currently being held in ICE detention.
In May, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told senior ICE leaders that they'd be fired if they didn't start arresting at least 3,000 migrants per day. ICE is averaging about 824 daily arrests, more than double the agency's pace under then-President Joe Biden in 2024.
The Deportation Data Project's numbers echo a review of leaked ICE custody records published by The Cato Institute in late November. The conservative think tank found that around 73% of people booked by ICE since the start of October had no criminal conviction.
Nearly half of those arrested by ICE had no convictions or pending criminal charges, according to Cato. Just 5% of detainees had a violent or property conviction.
David Bier, Cato's director of immigration studies, said that the Trump administration "shifted focus completely away from criminals" in April.
"Trump’s deportation agenda does not match the campaign promises that he made nor the rhetoric from his officials," Bier wrote. "The president has already recognized that deportations are hurting the US economy in deporting good workers. But perhaps more importantly, the agenda is taking resources away from targeting true public safety threats, whether from immigrants or Americans. ICE should redirect its resources back toward serious public safety threats."
DHS has repeatedly defended Trump's immigration crackdown and accused media outlets of "peddling falsehoods" that ICE raids are targeting more than violent criminals. The agency launched a "Worst of the Worst" website earlier in December, purporting to feature 10,000 arrests in a searchable database.
Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the website lets Americans see "the criminal illegal aliens that we are arresting," the crimes they're accused of, and where they lived.
"This is all about transparency and showing results," she said. "As the media whitewashes the facts, day in and day out, our brave men and women of ICE risk their lives for the American people. Americans don't have to rely on the press for this information – with this transparent tool, they can see for themselves what public safety threats were lurking in their neighborhoods and communities."
The Deportation Data Project's data also comes amid growing concerns about the domestic impact of Trump's immigration agenda. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed a Bloomberg report that nearly 10,000 commercial truck drivers have been pulled from US highways for not passing English tests.
Hispanic Construction Council CEO George Carrillo said that companies employing migrant workers are suffering.
"Now even the most conservative Republicans are feeling it and understanding that, hey, something different has to be done because now it is affecting their businesses," Carrillo told NBC News. "They're worried about this strategy."
President Donald Trump during a rally at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, PA, on December 9, 2025.
The Trump administration has also paused immigration applications from nearly 20 countries after an Afghan man who once worked in a CIA-backed military unit was accused of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members, including 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, who died from her injuries. Trump has ramped up his xenophobic language since the shooting, especially when calling Somali migrants "garbage" during a Cabinet meeting.
International visitors are also facing new scrutiny, with Customs and Border Protection planning to require many foreign tourists to submit five years of their social media history before entering the country. The proposal comes about six months before millions of international soccer fans are expected to come to the US for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to a recent survey, about 26% of health professionals reported that Trump's immigration crackdown has directly affected patient care, with many children of immigrants of any legal status skipping crucial medical treatments.
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