ICE Arrests of Noncriminal Immigrants Soar 2,000%, With Nearly Half of Detainees Without Criminal Record

According to official data, nearly 31,000 ICE detainees held as of Nov. 16 had no criminal charges or convictions and were detained only for civil immigration violations

When rolling out its immigration agenda, the second Trump administration said its mass deportation efforts would focus on criminals described by officials as the "worst of the worst."

Data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), however, paints a different picture. According to nonpublic ICE data obtained by the Cato Institute, nearly three-quarters of the people arrested by ICE had no criminal conviction.