Fewer Than 1 in 10 Immigrants Detained by ICE Since October Had Convictions for Serious Offenses, Data Shows

Internal government data shows that fewer than 1 in 10 of the more than 185,000 immigrants booked into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since October 2024 were convicted of serious crimes such as murder, assault, robbery, or rape, according to a new report. Furthermore, over 75% had no criminal convictions other than immigration or traffic-related offenses, CNN reported.

The data, covering detentions during the final months of the Biden administration and the early months of the Trump administration, contrasts sharply with the current administration's public messaging, as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials and President Donald Trump have repeatedly emphasized the arrest of immigrants with violent criminal records.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security challenged CNN's referenced data limited to ICE arrests in a shorter timeframe. "ICE targets the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "In President Trump's first 100 days, 75% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges."

A CNN review of ICE press releases in the past month found that nearly two-thirds of named individuals were described as having serious criminal records. However, advocates and local reports in cities like Los Angeles describe widespread arrests of longtime residents and workers with no criminal history.

"We are seeing huge amounts of people with no prior contact with the criminal or immigration system picked up," said Eva Bitran of the ACLU of Southern California to CNN. "It is very contrary to the story that the secretary is telling."

A similar analysis by The Guardian published over the weekend highlights a significant rise in ICE arrests of immigrants without criminal records, reporting an 807% increase in such detentions since Trump returned to office in January. The Guardian's data, compiled with the Vera Institute of Justice, shows that many arrests now involve people with pending charges or none at all.

Researcher Austin Kocher of Syracuse University told the news outlet that "he data reflects the fact that ICE is in the community, arresting an awful lot of people who don't have criminal histories. It doesn't reflect what the agency has claimed they're doing which is going after the hardened criminals first, which I don't think the data supports."

As of June 1, ICE was holding over 51,000 detainees—its highest number since 2019.