The BareStory
Official government data shows that the number of migrants without criminal records arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased by more than 2,000% since January 2025. According to statistics published by ICE, the agency was holding a record 65,135 people in detention facilities as of November 16. Of this total, 48% were classified as individuals with no criminal charges or convictions, while 26% had criminal convictions and another 26% had pending charges.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, said the administration is targeting "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens," and claimed that 70% of those arrested by ICE had criminal charges or convictions, though supporting data was not provided. McLaughlin also suggested that detainees listed as non-criminals could have foreign criminal histories or pose a security threat, but the summaries noted DHS has not released data to substantiate this. Meanwhile, senior officials, including border czar Tom Homan and acting ICE director Todd Lyons, have stated that anyone found in the U.S. illegally will be arrested, a practice described as "collateral arrests" that was reportedly largely banned by the previous administration.
While all categories of detainees have grown, the data indicates the non-criminal group has seen the most rapid increase. When focusing only on individuals arrested by ICE, and not those transferred from other agencies, the number of non-criminal detainees surged by 2,143% between late January and mid-November. In comparison, detainees with convictions and pending charges increased by 73% and 226%, respectively, during the same period.
For the first time, non-criminal detainees arrested by ICE now outnumber those with criminal convictions. The statistics do not specify the nature or severity of the criminal offenses. Generally, illegal presence in the U.S. is handled as a civil matter, while illegal entry is a misdemeanor.
How it may affect me
As a U.S. reader:
• The record number of people in ICE detention, now over 65,135, may lead to increased taxpayer costs for funding government detention facilities.
• This enforcement trend marks a significant policy change, as data shows non-criminal detainees now outnumber those with criminal convictions for the first time.
• Conflicting statistics from official data and government statements may create public confusion about the actual targets of current immigration enforcement.
