The majority of immigrants detained by ICE in the US have no criminal record
So far in 2025, nearly 75% of people in ICE custody have only one immigration or transit-related violation
A few weeks ago, Toddy Lyons, acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said its agents will arrest anyone in the United States illegally, regardless of whether they have a criminal record.
As the Trump administration has ramped up raids in Los Angeles and elsewhere across the country, top officials have highlighted the capture of immigrants convicted of crimes including murder, assault and rape, calling them barbaric criminals who spread terror in American communities.
However, internal government documents obtained by CNN revealed that only a percentage of immigrants detained and held in ICE custody have been convicted of violent or sexual offenses.
More than 75% of people taken into ICE custody in fiscal year 2025 did not have other criminal conviction than an immigration or traffic-related violation, according to ICE records between October and the end of May. And less than 10% were convicted of serious crimes such as murder, assault, robbery, or rape.
That is to say, the US president's policy, far from focusing on people with serious criminal records, focuses on undocumented people; the majority of immigrants detained by ICE do not have a criminal record.
According to the Deportation Data Project, 60% of those detained during that period had no prior convictions. Of the remaining 40%, many were facing non-violent charges.
While the national administration highlights the arrest of those convicted of homicide or rape, several ICE procedures have caused tension in communities, including the detention of asylum seekers in courthouses and workplace raids.
The total number of arrests nearly doubled from the same period last year. ICE arrested 94,906 people were arrested between January 20 and June 11 of this year, compared to 45,558 during the same months in 2024.
But arrests didn't just increase: the profile of those arrested also changed. In 2024, 52% of those arrested had a criminal conviction. In 2025, that percentage dropped to 40%. The trend is even more pronounced when looking at the data month by month: in January, almost 46% of those arrested had a criminal record. By June, the proportion had dropped to 30%.
The tougher federal stance has sparked strong reactions from pro-immigrant organizations, which warn of the chilling effect on Latino and other minority communities.