As ICE Arrests Increased, a Higher Portion Had No U.S. Criminal Record
While the Trump administration insists that it is targeting the worst of the worst in its immigration enforcement, it has not provided information to substantiate that, and the data that is available suggests the claim has become less accurate over time.
The Trump administration has specifically targeted the worst of the worst, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a press conference in July. The individuals that we are going after are those that are violent criminals, those that are breaking our laws and those that have final removal orders.
While the number of monthly Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests has risen steadily over the first year of Trumps second term, the percentage of those arrested who have no criminal convictions or pending charges has also gone up.
Our analysis of ICE arrest data obtained by the Deportation Data Project found a doubling over time of the percentage without criminal records, meaning neither convictions nor charges. In Trumps first three months in office, 21.9% of those arrested had no criminal record. The percentage rose to 34.2% in Trumps second three months, and then to 40.5% in the three months ending in mid-October. In January, nearly 43% of those detained had no convictions or charges, according to publicly available ICE data.
https://www.factcheck.org/2026/01/as-ice-arrests-increased-a-higher-portion-had-no-u-s-criminal-record/
This is a good article that includes facts and figures of who is being targeted.