Despite the Trump administration’s claims that its immigration enforcement efforts are focused on targeting dangerous criminals, the latest data paints a very different picture.
Since January, arrests of undocumented immigrants with no criminal history have surged by over 800%, according to figures released by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).
As of June 1st, 51,302 individuals were being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities — the highest number ever recorded since the agency’s creation. However, less than one-third of those detainees had been convicted of a crime, and only around 8% had any record involving serious offenses, according to internal agency documents obtained by CNN and reported by The Independent.
Following his re-election, President Donald Trump launched a new wave of immigration raids, vowing to deport “dangerous criminals.” “We’re going to rid the country of the worst offenders,” he declared. But in practice, a growing number of arrests are targeting individuals with no convictions or even pending charges.
Before Trump’s return to the White House, approximately 6% of those arrested by ICE had no prior criminal record. Since January 20, that proportion has skyrocketed to 23%, totaling 7,781 arrests of people without any criminal history or pending legal issues, The Independent reported.
CNN’s analysis of ICE data from October through May shows that among the 185,000 people detained during that period, only 10% had been convicted of what ICE classifies as “serious crimes” — such as murder, rape, assault, or armed robbery. Most convictions were for minor offenses like traffic violations or administrative infractions, which the agency nonetheless records as “criminal.”
Among those with a criminal record, three-quarters were not convicted of violent crimes. The current enforcement strategy appears focused more on increasing arrest numbers than prioritizing based on the severity of offenses.
This surge in arrests aligns with what appears to be an unofficial quota system. Multiple sources told The Independent that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has set a target of 3,000 arrests per day.
President Trump recently revoked a directive that shielded farm workers from ICE raids and ordered intensified operations in major cities governed by Democrats.
“The American people want safe cities, schools, and communities, free from crime, chaos, and the conflicts caused by illegal aliens,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Despite this escalation, deportations by Border Patrol have declined, partly due to fewer migrants attempting to cross the southern border. This has created a paradox: to maintain high numbers, ICE is increasingly targeting long-term undocumented residents already living in the U.S. — even those with no criminal history, The Independent observed.
The publication also criticized the administration for a growing lack of transparency. Since January, ICE has stopped releasing detailed public statistics, making it harder to track trends or hold the agency accountable.
Sources:
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Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC)
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CNN, internal ICE documents
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The Independent, report by Alicja Hagopian, June 23, 2025
