ICE is detaining people with no criminal record: The data behind those being arrested by Immigration
New ICE data shows immigrants without criminal records now make up the largest group being arrested and detained under current policies.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released data showing it is not targeting “the worst of the worst” criminals, as the Trump administration has consistently claimed it has been instructed to do.
For the first time since ICE data has been available, the largest group of immigrants arrested and detained are those with no criminal record.
According to a report released by the agency on Sept. 25, 16,523 immigrants with no criminal record are currently being detained, surpassing convicted criminals (15,725) and immigrants pending criminal charges (13,676).
Spike in arrests of immigrants without criminal records
A graph shared on social media by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council shows a sharp increase in immigrants with no criminal record being arrested and detained by ICE since President Trump returned to office in January.
During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to carry out “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” and said ICE would be targeting “the most dangerous criminals” when asked how the agency would tackle the estimated 14 million immigrants residing in the United States without authorization.
Officials defend targeting priorities
As recently as July, Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed that ICE had been ordered to target “the worst of the worst, including gang members, murderers and rapists.” The recently released figures suggest that is not the agency’s priority.
🚨NEW: For the first time EVER, the largest group of people arrested in the interior and detained by ICE are people with NO criminal record.
— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@ReichlinMelnick) September 26, 2025
As of yesterday's data release, 40%(!) of those arrested in the interior and detained by ICE had no prior conviction or pending charges. pic.twitter.com/TgvbBzZxTO
One explanation may be linked to the Trump administration increasing the daily arrest quota to 3,000, up from 1,000. With fewer people being detained at the U.S.-Mexico border, agents have had to look elsewhere to meet the quota, resulting in scores of people being arrested when checking in at immigration courts across the country.
Immigrant communities on edge
Immigrants across the United States have been on edge for some time, and the data released by ICE provides a clear reason why.
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