Newly released data suggests that a significant number of people arrested by U.S. immigration authorities during President Donald Trump’s second term did not have criminal records, raising questions about the administration’s stated focus on targeting dangerous offenders.
According to data obtained by the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project, nearly 75,000 people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between January 20, 2025, when Trump began his second term, and October 15, 2025, had no prior criminal convictions. The dataset covers nearly 220,000 ICE arrests during that nine-month period.
The information was compiled by an internal ICE office and made public as part of a lawsuit filed against the agency.
The data shows that almost one-third of individuals detained by ICE during this period had no criminal record. For those who did have prior convictions, the dataset does not differentiate between minor offenses and serious or violent crimes.
The findings appear to contrast with repeated statements from the Trump administration, which has emphasized that immigration enforcement efforts are aimed at removing individuals who pose a threat to public safety.
“It contradicts what the administration has been saying about people who are convicted criminals and that they are going after the worst of the worst,” said Ariel Ruiz Soto, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.
The data analyzed does not include arrests carried out by other federal agencies, such as U.S. Border Patrol, which has also expanded operations in major cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Detroit as part of the administration’s broader immigration crackdown. While both ICE and Border Patrol fall under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), they operate as separate agencies.
“That is the black box that we know nothing about,” Ruiz Soto said, referring to Border Patrol activity. “How many arrests is Border Patrol doing? How many of those are leading to removals and under what conditions?”
The Trump administration has openly pushed for higher arrest numbers. In May, NBC News reported that Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, warned ICE leadership that officials could face termination if they failed to meet a target of 3,000 migrant arrests per day.
According to the report, field offices that ranked in the bottom 10% for monthly arrests were also warned their leadership positions could be at risk.
Federal law enforcement officials cited by NBC News said the administration’s emphasis on immigration enforcement has strained agency resources and slowed progress on other investigations.
“There is such a priority on making immigration arrests that it takes longer to get answers on anything else,” one official said. “Something that used to be resolved in a matter of days now takes weeks.”
The administration’s rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement has also drawn attention. Last week, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted a message on X describing efforts by her department and the president to remove what she characterized as dangerous and exploitative individuals from the country.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom, not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to Americans,” Noem wrote. “We don’t want them. Not one.”
President Trump has repeatedly defended aggressive enforcement tactics. In a recent interview with CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell, Trump said he supported ICE agents using force during raids when necessary.
“Because you have to get the people out,” Trump said, adding that he believed enforcement efforts had not gone far enough. He again claimed that many of those targeted were violent criminals who had been expelled from other countries.
Trump has also said that deported immigrants would be allowed to pursue legal pathways to return to the United States. However, reports in recent weeks have raised concerns about how those policies are being applied.
In Boston, WGBH, a member station of National Public Radio, reported that several immigrants who had completed the naturalization process and were preparing to take the oath of citizenship were removed from their ceremony at the last moment.
According to the report, the individuals were informed they could not proceed because their countries of origin appeared on a Trump administration restricted list.
The individuals had reportedly already passed background checks, received approval for naturalization, and were awaiting the final step of becoming U.S. citizens.
In response to the report, a DHS spokesperson said the administration was taking a cautious approach.
“The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best,” the spokesperson told NBC News. “Citizenship is a privilege, not a right. We will take no chances when the future of our nation is at stake.”
The data from the Deportation Data Project adds to an ongoing national debate over immigration enforcement priorities, the scope of executive authority, and the balance between public safety and civil liberties during Trump’s second term.
